New Delhi: Two days after CNN-IBN exposed Air India pilot Arjun Giare, for producing fake papers, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday set up a committee to revamp the pilot examination system. The committee has been set up to cross verify the genuineness of the certificates submitted by the candidates.
The entire examination system will be computerized by September 2011 and the papers will be checked by pilots. The committee will not allow requests for change of examination centres.
Any candidate found cheating will be debarred for five years and action against 16 candidates has already been taken.
Air India on Wednesday derostered its pilot Arjun Giare, pending an inquiry, for allegedly submitting a forged class 10th marksheet to get his licence.
CNN-IBN reported on Monday that Giare's license was canceled in 2000 after he was caught by a US examiner. But in May 2001, he managed to get an Indian commercial pilot's license based on fake documents.
Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav said, "The DGCA is looking at it. We are waiting for the DGCA to carry out the due process, and we are also internally looking at it. We have set up a committee as instructed by the DGCA to have a scrutiny."
Already this month, two pilots have been arrested, for faking mark sheets. Air India has said that it is now conducting background checks on all pilots.
Over 21 pilots are reportedly under close scrutiny. Of them, four pilots, top sources have told CNN-IBN, are being closely investigated for discrepancies in their documentation.
The big concern now is the role of DGCA insiders and pilots who are said to be charging as much as Rs 7 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for obtaining fake documents. Air India has also been accused of keeping silent despite knowledge of pilots with fake documents.