India, Feb. 9 -- The civil aviation ministry has started a nationwide inspection of about 400 uncontrolled airstrips to develop a uniform set of operating standards and a monitoring mechanism to be jointly managed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and states, officials said.

The inspection drive will map infrastructure gaps, communication facilities, firefighting readiness and coordination mechanisms with local authorities. At present, most of these uncontrolled airports are owned by the respective states and are not subject to routine DGCA oversight, creating a regulatory gap.

This inspection and formulation of guidelines follow the January 28 Baramati plane crash that killed Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Ajit P...