LAHORE - PIA management has purchased cell phones for pilots to make them bound to report to their flight duty through mobile phone message replacing a dispatch rider system. The new system would be activated by November 1, next month, said sources in PIA on Saturday. Pakistan Airline Pilots Association PALPA has expressed concerns over the starting of short message service by the management and termed the exercise a ploy to teach a lesson to the pilots who are already in row with the airline management. An office-bearer of PALPA seeking anonymity said that instructions about flight duty through dispatch rider was a foolproof way of communication whereas conveying same instructions through SMS is not sound enough. He said that mobile phone of a pilot can be misplaced, snatched or lost then he would be liable to disciplinary action taken by the management. A pilot on the condition of anonymity said that through this innovative idea the PIA administration has indicated that the time tested practice of informing the pilots of flight schedule and their duties (through rosters) would be discontinued after November 1, 2010. Sources in the airline claimed that airline management has purchased mobile phones in bulk and also hired the services of a private cellular company in this regard but PAPLA has decided to go to the court in this regard and would not accept the said process of communication. It is worth mentioning here that the said communication process would be only for pilots and not for cabin crews, said a pilot saying that it would only jeopardise the safety of passengers. The administration has always tried to bypass the global aviation safety rules specially after bringing PIA flying crew under the essential services act; it cannot be allowed further to risk the life of passengers. The spokesman of the PALPA said that the SMS project will unnecessarily cost PIA around Rs 5 million annually while 600 mobile phones would have to be purchased additionally besides PIA is bound to foot the monthly bill of Rs 500 for each connection. Spokesman of the Airline said that though he was not fully aware of the development but introducing new system was not an objectionable one rather it is a faster than dispatch rider system. He said that message through cell phone was a sort of letter and after the science has made progress all the correspondence was being made through computer and cell phone.