India, and quite a few other countries, have a strict policy for drones and drone technology. Flying drones in some cities in India is banned, unless there is proper permission for them, and even then there are so many restrictions that users get put off.
Andhra Pradesh Government wants to experiment with this technology and use it to its advantage. People do say that drones can be used for wrong purposes by the wrong people, but they can also be used by the right people for the right purposes, in this case for governance.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that an academy will be setup to train professionals on the maintenance and operation of drones and drone technology.
A 4-member committee will be appointed to carefully study and design guidelines for the effective use of drones in India for governance. The Government is also looking to take advice from drone professionals around the world, to improve their administration in Andhra Pradesh.
Where Will These Drones be Used?
The top priority for Andhra Pradesh Government is governance and administration in the state, and drones will be used for the maintenance of law and order. These flying objects can be used to monitor real-time situations in an area, and deploying multiple drones can help the police keep a tab on traffic and crime.
The state also plans to employ drones in area like tourism, agriculture, mines, forests and irrigation projects. In case of mines, forests and agriculture, surveillance can be done for regular checks and improving the operating conditions.
It still remains a mystery how the Government will use it for tourism, and we hope travellers get to see beautiful and unseen areas of the state. The Government will have regular reviews of the footage from drone and improve the administration through this.
AP Government plans to have major command control centres in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Anantapur, including major district headquarters, to receive real-time information. These control centres will have officials experiences in drone technology, who can help improve governance in these regions.
We do not know if individuals will be allowed to use drones in AP, to capture picturesque locations, but now travellers should be able to enjoy these sites a lot more. Drone technology should also help the traffic police in maintain traffic control policies and regulate traffic accordingly.
There was a talk about Indian E-Commerce portals starting drone deliveries, in congested metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, but nothing came out of it. Hopefully, AP Government’s initiative will revive the drone technology in India and other people will follow.