Mosquito menace in planes: SC approves new guidelines
6-Member Expert Panel's Report Accepted by Govt
- New Delhi: India's Supreme Court enjoys a unique position among its peers across the world-for it can interpret the Constitution, strike down legislative and executive decisions not in conformity with constitutional provisions, and entertain PILS on any subject, including mosquito and fly problems in aircraft.
- The process it had initiated in 2019, by ordering the Union government to set up an expert panel to study the problem of mosquitoes and flies in passenger aircrafts and suggest remedial measures, fructified on Wednesday with the Centre accepting the six-member panel's recommendations and the SC asking the government to take necessary action.
- The issue arose before the National Green Tribunal in 2015 and later shifted to the SC when an appeal against the tribunal order was filed. The SC on July 16, 2019, had asked the ministry of health and family welfare to constitute an expert committee to take a holistic view of the problem that affected the health of the passengers travelling by air.
- Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati informed a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardi Wala that all the nine recommendations made by the expert panel have been accepted by the union government.
- The recommendations include residual disinfection of aircraft is superior to other procedures; pre-embarkation treatment of cabin and cargo may be undertaken for the flights arriving in India on single-sector (non-stop flights); predeparture disinfection for the flights arriving in India from transit countries (multi-sector) endemic for vector borne diseases (like Yellow Fever etc.) to be undertaken on regular intervals.
- The panel said, "Disinfection may be undertaken as per the regulatory requirements of that country; vector surveillance and control activities around the aircraft bay to be undertaken to keep free from mosquito breeding; routine health monitoring surveillance of crew members may also include information on adverse health effect of disinfection; and provide information on symptoms of adverse effect due to insecticide spray to any passenger or crew member."