State forest officials will soon use drones to carry out surveillance in forest areas.

The drones will help keep close watch on wild animals and man-animal conflicts in sanctuaries and wildlife reserves. Principal secretary, forests, Vivek Kumar Singh said in the absence of drones, officials face an uphill task accessing hilly and forest terrain on an urgent basis.

"We are soon going to procure two drones which would be used for forest and plantation surveillance," Singh said.

"It would also be handy for us to keep a close watch on illegal mining activities. We intend to use one drone in north Bihar, probably at Bettiah (Valmiki Tiger Reserve), and the other in south Bihar, probably at Kaimur."

But the forest department would have to take approval, at various levels - as per a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order issued in December 2010 - for usage of drones. "A drone is considered a live aircraft, thus permission from competent authorities, including DGCA or Airports Authority of India is required," said a senior Patna airport official. "The operator is required to submit a flight plan, including area and height at which the drone will fly."

Sources said prior approval is also required from police to operate the drones.

"Drones can be a security hazard, as anti-national forces can use it to recce an area and plot terror attacks. Police have booked a couple of people in the past for flying drones without prior permission," said an officer.

The DGCA issued guidelines in April for obtaining a unique identification number and operation of civil unmanned aircraft system (UAS), popularly known as drones. The guidelines said UAS operations present problems to the regulator in terms of ensuring safety of other users of airspace and persons on the ground. However, in view of technological advancements in UAS over the years and their increased civil application, it has become necessary to develop guidance material to regulate this activity.