Four-day ban on drone use over city

Jun 20, 2020 News

GCCA’s Field cites national security, while Ramjattan says also for political reasons

Minister of Public Security Kemraj Ramjattan

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has ordered a four-day ban on the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) better known as Drones within the air Space of Georgetown supposedly for national security purposes even as the Minister of Public Security has floated a politically –related justification.
This ban was issued Thursday under the authority of section 69(c) of the Civil Aviation Act of 2018 and had commenced on the June 18. The act gives room for the Director-General of GCAA, Egbert Field to prohibit the use or impose conditions on the operation of these UAVs on certain grounds.
These grounds as is explained in the Act are the endangering of a person’s life, properties (public or private), among others.
GCAA also sternly warned operators and owners of drones that they will have to pay a fine of at least GYD$3,000,000 or face two-year imprisonment for breaching the four-day ban which is expected to end on June 22.

Director of GCAA, Egbert Field

A drone spotted in the restricted airspace yesterday

An Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV)

Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday Field said that this decision was not taken by his department alone. He explained to this paper that this move was proposed jointly by government agencies and the heads of the Joint Services “for national security reasons”.

This proposal he says was then later approved unanimously by the board of GCAA and published as an order. Field did not reveal much detail as to what these security concerns are but did mention that the relative heads of the joint services of Guyana should be able to highlight such.

A Google map depicting the no fly zone within area cordoned off with a red line

The Minister of Public Security, Kemraj Ramjattan was later contacted by this newspaper to ascertain these reasons. Ramjattan said that this decision was taken because operators of drones have been abusing their use by flying them over prohibited places such as the Guyana Defence Force’ headquarters at Camp Ayangana.

It was also discovered, said Ramjattan, that the intelligence of these of these devices can make room for criminal activities.
“Drones can be used by criminals to track movements of businessmen or to pin-point locations where guns can be transported unknown to authorities” stated the minister.
Pressed on the fact that the ban was only for four days, Ramjattan added that it “is because we are currently in a critical stage of our election process”
“We are awaiting a declaration and a government will be sworn in and we don’t want anyone using these devices to stir violence and spark protests,” he stated.
Ramjattan asserted that the only persons that will be allowed to use drones during this four-day period are members of the joint services.
It should be noted that while the reason for the ban given was “national security purposes”, the coordinates offered in the ban notice cover only Georgetown and its environs, the seat of government and most central government agencies and ministries. According to the coordinate boundaries listed by the GCAA the no-fly Zone stretches from Providence on the East Bank of Demerara, to Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara. Despite the ban a drone, was seen flying over the Appeal Court yesterday afternoon, just around the time an election-related court case was being heard.