The civil aviation ministry has allowed NTPC Limited to use drones to carry out research and inspection activities at its three power plants in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The three power plants are namely- Vindhyachal super thermal power station and Gadarwara super thermal power plant, both in Madhya Pradesh, and Sipat super thermal power project in Chhattisgarh. According to ministry, the conditional exemption is till December 31, 2020 or till the full operatalisation of Digital Sky Platform, whichever is earlier. While conditional exemption has been given to NTPC, it will still need to obtain necessary clearances from the local administration, the Defence Ministry, the Home Ministry, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).