‘After Trains, It’s Time To Open Up The Skies’

“As the Union government, along with the state governments, goes about the fire-fighting exercise, Indians stand rock-solid together in this hour of crisis”

 

Faced with a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, India has shown the world what a gritty fight means, as we contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have pointed to the fact that India’s swift, well-thought-out response to the pandemic ensured that the Indians today are relatively better placed as when compared to many parts of the developed world.

As the Union government, along with the state governments, goes about the fire-fighting exercise, Indians stand rock-solid together in this hour of crisis.

India’s combined response to the crisis is, perhaps, best captured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three exhortations that he made during his meetings with the Chief Ministers in the last one-and-ahalf months.

First, he said, “Jaan hai to Jahaan hai”.

Then came, “Jaan bhi, Jahaan bhi”.

In the latest meeting with the Chief Ministers, he is reported to have remarked “Jan se lekar Jag tak”.

This shows a very carefully-thought-out strategy to open up India once the basic ground work towards securing the Indians had been done.

I am also of the same view and I have written to this effect as well.

So, as India goes about resuming economic activities, the resumption of trains, albeit in a limited number, is a welcome sign.

I believe now is the time to allow domestic flying as well.

“I BELIEVE THAT NSOP FLIGHT OPERATIONS SHOULD BE ALLOWED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. MORE SO FOR THE INDUSTRIES THAT FALL UNDER ESSENTIAL SERVICES. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT INDUSTRY CAPTAINS ARE ABLE TO MONITOR THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 AT GROUND ZERO, AND BOOST THE MORALE OF THE WORKERS, BESIDES STREAMLINING THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES.”

While the contours of domestic commercial flights resumption are being worked out, I believe that NSOP flight operations should be allowed with immediate effect. More so for the industries that fall under essential services. This will ensure that industry captains are able to monitor the fight against COVID-19 at Ground Zero, and boost the morale of the workers, besides streamlining the economic activities. This will enable senior resources from any organisation, who are willing to step out and make it count, contribute towards nation building in this crucial time.

These flights will, of course, enforce stringent measures like physical distancing, face masks and face shields.

Non-scheduled airlines’ aircraft are smaller, and thus easier to manage and sanitise as per the governmental norms. The passengers are usually from the same organisation, and hence their well-being and background health checks can be better monitored.

This is imperative for another reason.

When India seeks to seize the opportunity provided by the COVID-19 crisis, and ramp up economic activities, industrial units and manufacturing facilities will come under a lot of focus.

While our own manufacturing facilities are in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand, according to an estimate, “Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, undivided Andhra, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal account for 64 per cent of all factories in the organised sector”. In this hour of crisis, it’s absolutely essential that industry captains and their teams establish connect with the workers, boost them, take stock of the manufacturing activities, and monitor the fight against COVID-19.

“IN THIS HOUR OF CRISIS, IT’S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT INDUSTRY CAPTAINS AND THEIR TEAMS ESTABLISH CONNECT WITH THE WORKERS, BOOST THEM, TAKE STOCK OF THE MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES, AND MONITOR THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19. THE NSOP FLIGHT OPERATIONS WILL COME IN HANDY HERE.”

The NSOP flight operations will come in handy here.

These factories are the temples of Modern India. The workers, management and the captains must lead from the front when resuming economic activity and rebuilding India is a priority.

There have been other instances also where smaller non-scheduled aircraft could have played a useful role. In one such instance, the parents of a gallantry award-winning Army officer’s parents had to undergo the ordeal of a 2000-km-long road journey to attend his funeral. Surely, our heroes and their families deserve better!

In addition to non-scheduled airlines, the government should also look at the resumption of commercial flights.

According to a proposal, flights are being proposed in Green Zone, to begin with. But the metros, which account for 65 per cent of air traffic, are in Red Zone, and it’s unlikely that the airlines would resume operations unless these centres become active.

Like we have seen in the case of resumption of trains, the government could look at strict enforcement of guidelines like physical distancing and face shields, and resume operations in a calibrated manner.

India is learning to live with the virus till a breakthrough in the form of a vaccine is achieved. We have to manage the crisis well, and seize the opportunities that the crisis throws up. Opening up of domestic flying will be a step in this direction.

The author is the Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL). Also the Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), President of Flag Foundation of India (FFI) and an ace Polo sports enthusiast. He represented Kurukshetra Parliamentary Constituency in the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha at Indian Parliament.

His relentless efforts led to revision of the Flag Code of India which now grants every private citizen the right to fly the National Flag publicly with dignity and honour on all days of the year. His words the way he expresses, are: “The display of Tiranga is a way to express my love for and faith in the country.”