The Supreme Court has adopted an expert panel’s recommendations to eliminate mosquitos and flies in aeroplane cabins.
The Supreme Court of India is unusual among its peers in that it may interpret the Constitution, overturn legislative and executive actions that are not in accordance with constitutional requirements, and hear PILs on any issue, including mosquito and fly problems in passenger planes.
It began the process in 2019 by directing the Union government to form an expert group to examine the problem of flies and mosquitoes on passenger planes and offer solutions for aircraft disinsection. The process culminated on Wednesday, with the Centre accepting the recommendations of the six-member panel and the Supreme Court directing the government to take appropriate action. The assistant solicitor general, Aishwarya Bhati, informed a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwalaand PS Narasimhathat all nine suggestions had been adopted.
The recommendations are as follows: residual disinsection of aircraft is superior to other procedures; pre-embarkation treatment of cabin and cargo for flights arriving in India on single-sector (non-stop flights); and Pre-departure disinsection for planes arriving in India from vector-borne illness prevalent transit countries.
As per the panel, the disinsection process at the terminus airport may be done in line by means of that legislative standards of the country; control actions and vector surveillance around the airport may as well be done preventing mosquito breeding in the aeroplane bay may be carried out; routine health monitoring surveillance of crew members may also include information on the negative health impacts of disinsection; and offer information on signs of adversarial effects because ofinsect repellent spray to any crew member or passenger.
