112 pilots had taken sick leave after the Ahmedabad plane crash, what did the minister tell in the Parliament?
By Princy Kashyap
112 pilots went on leave four days after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. These pilots had taken sick leave declaring themselves sick. State minister Murlidhar Mohol in the Civil Aviation Ministry has informed the Parliament about this. He told that after the Ai-171 accident in Air India, there has been an increase in the cases of sick leave by the pilots of all flights.
According to the report of Amit Bhardwaj associated with India Today, in response to the question of BJP MP Jai Prakash regarding collective sick leave taken by Air India pilots after Ai-171 accident, State Minister Murlidhar Mohol replied in writing that on 16 June a total of 112 pilots reported being sick which included 51 commanders (P1) and 61 first officers (P2).
State Minister Mohol also informed that at present the Aviation Ministry does not have any specific policy regarding compensation for the harm caused to citizens on the ground due to accidents.
After the incident, the Civil Garden Mahanidhi in a medical circular advised airlines to assess the mental health of pilots crew and air traffic controllers as well as start training programmes to mitigate the adverse effects on health. In the Civil Garden Ministry, State Minister Murlidhar Mohol also said that operators, FTOS and AAI were advised to create a support programme for their employees regarding mental health monitoring. It is important for airlines to work in this direction so that flights, crew members, ATCO can get help in identifying, facing and controlling any problem.
On this matter, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told the Parliament that mental health is a part of safety in the aviation industry. DGCA has instructed all airlines to promote mental health awareness for their employees. In this, emphasis will be given to encourage employees to deal with stress, understand mental health issues and take timely action.
Let us remind you that last month, on 12th June, an Air India Boeing Dreamliner plane going from Ahmedabad to London crashed on the ground just a few minutes after take-off. Out of the 242 passengers on board the plane, only 1 passenger survived. During the initial investigation of the incident it was found that within a second of takeoff the fuel switch for the plane’s engine went into cutoff mode due to which the fuel supply to the engine was stopped and this accident occurred. However, it could not be confirmed in the report as to how the engine’s fuel switch finally got switched off.