Cops mull anti-drone system

Bhubaneswar: Police plan to bring in anti-drone device to mount surveillance on drones.

The was discussed during a meeting of senior police officers on Wednesday held at the DG's camp office in Bhubaneswar for implementation of the civil aviation ministry's National Drone Policy that will come into effect from December 1.

Odisha director-general of police R.P. Sharma said a German company made a power-point presentation regarding the anti-drone system: "It will help detect drones within a 2km to 10km radius. It can also scan the content of the drones. In case the drone captures anything suspicious or is an unregistered equipment, the system can also jam those."

The policy makes permission from appropriate authorities mandatory for commercial use of drones. While the modalities for the implementation of the policy is being finalised, the registration of commercial drones is expected to begin shortly. The policy also prohibits drones from flying around certain restricted locations such as airports, near international borders, coastline and secretariat complexes. <>Similarly, flying drones will also be prevented in strategic locations and vital and military installations.

Use of drone cameras around the Jagannath temple to take pictures of the shrine had earlier caused a stir among devotees. The Puri administration declared the airspace around the shrine as a "no-fly zone" in 2014 after a number of aerial videos of the shrine were circulated on social media.

"Once the policy regarding the use of drones comes into effect, the police will take necessary steps to regulate their use. We will also seek help of experts before taking a call on the system," said a senior police officer.