Under surveillance! Augmenting security, Odisha police to use drone cameras in severely affected Naxal districts

Bhubaneswar, September 24: Augmenting security and safety of the people, the police department in Odisha has decided on adopting drone camera surveillance. These drone cameras will be an eye watcher on the severely Naxal affected areas.

 

Informing the media, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajendra Prasad Sharma said that the Odisha police will soon procure drone cameras to monitor naxals-activities in the state. The state will buy some drones in this financial year. The first drone that we are buying will be used for surveillance of severely Naxal-affected districts to augment security.

The drone will initially be used in Naxal-hit Malkangiri and Koraput district.

The DGP further said that the state police has also decided to use the drones for surveillance and traffic management during the Men's Hockey World Cup, scheduled to take place from November 28 to December 16 in Bhubaneswar.

In the initial stages, the police will use drones with 60 minutes of endurance time and night vision. Odisha has been an ideal transit point for Maoists who flee the neighboring states fearing search operation by security forces. This has forced the state government to step up vigilance in the bordering districts.

Last year, the state government had announced its decision to purchase a number of modern equipment, including drone, vapor tracer, thermal monocular and contraband busters for the first time to keep tabs on the movement of Naxals. According to the state action plan (SAP), funded both by the central and state governments on 60:40 basis, nearly Rs 4.37 crore had been earmarked for the purchase of equipment to counter Naxals in the districts where they maintain a strong presence.

Currently, Naxals operate mainly in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.