This story is from November 3, 2017

Pune railway division’s plan to deploy drones hits Satara police hurdle

Pune railway division’s plan to deploy drones hits Satara police hurdle
Representative image
PUNE: The Pune railway division’s ambitious plan to use drones for mapping risky areas in and around tracks has hit a roadblock with the Satara police objecting to the plan.
Pune divisional railway manager (DRM) Milind Deouskar on Thursday said, “We received a letter from police regarding the drone plan. We will now review it and decide on the future course of action.”
Sources in the division told TOI that the authorities intend to concentrate mainly on using the drone towards the Satara side of the division.
“In a letter written by the Superintendent of Police (SP), it was mentioned that we need to take permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before going ahead with the plan,” an official said.
Initially, the Pune division had decided to buy two drones to execute the plan. It also intended to use the drones in case of train accidents.
“However, the plan was changed. Instead of buying the drones for mapping, it was decided to rent them,” the official said.
“We will buy two drones at an estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh under a different project. They will primarily scan the spot of an accident. The plan was chalked out by the previous DRM,” the official added.
“The idea of using the drones is good as it will give us a live feed of the area. The area between Pune and Satara includes some deep tunnels and we need to monitor them constantly. Then, there are some areas by the rail tracks that have heavy slum population. With the help of these drones, we will be able to map these areas regularly. Besides, there are many other areas that can be kept a watch on with the help of drones,” the official said.
DGCA came up with draft regulations for drones on Wednesday.
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