'Govt working to find lasting solution': Aviation minister on curbing bomb threats

Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, responding to a series of bomb threats received by airlines over the past seven days, said the administration is closely monitoring the situation and will soon come up with a lasting solution.

Refraining from terming the recent hoax threats as 'conspiracy', the minister said it is difficult to ascertain anything at this juncture. However, the minister added that the aviation authorities are not taking such threats 'casually'

The minister emphasised the need for stronger laws and regulations to deter such actions, suggesting that the ministry is considering changes to existing legislation to tackle the issue more effectively.

“It is very difficult to tell at this point what the motive is behind these hoax calls. The police are doing their due diligence, and once the perpetrators are caught, we can determine the reason behind these incidents,” Naidu said. He further explained that the ministry is collaborating with intelligence agencies and officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs to prevent future occurrences. “We are using intelligence, the IB, and other key agencies to ensure incidents like this don’t happen again,” added Kinjarapu.

Taking about legislative changes, the minister said the Civil Aviation Ministry is consulting with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law to amend the Aircraft Act of 1934 and Aircraft Rules of 1937. The proposed changes include a five-year imprisonment for offenders and their placement on a no-fly list.