TERENGGANU DRONES TO CHECK PROJECTS, TRAFFIC AND SECURITY
They will help district offices monitor projects, enhance security
ALL seven district offices in Terengganu will have eyes in the sky to enforce the law. Drones and Global Positioning System (GPS) units will be used for real-time monitoring of projects and public areas to enhance security surveillance, and to catch litterbugs.
While the main use of drones and GPS units is to help district officers monitor projects approved by the state Economic Planning Unit, including those undertaken by the Irrigation and Drainage Department and Lands and Mines Office, they could also be used to monitor traffic.
“Their primary use is to provide information on the projects’ progress. We are enhancing our monitoring system,” state financial officer Datuk A. Rahman Yahya said here yesterday.
He said the drones would help officers trace the progress of approved projects or those being implemented, and identify problems to come up with solutions to prevent delays.
The drones cost RM8,000 each while the 29 GPS units cost RM2,500 each.
Each district would operate one drone, while the GPS units would be distributed among the local authorities, district Public Works Department and the Irrigation and Drainage Department.
Rahman said the GPS units would help the state government obtain information on the length of the roads in the state.
“This is to ensure that we get the funds under the Malaysian Road Record Information System (Marris).”
So far, 12,000km of roads have been registered by the government and the state government was targeting to register an additional 4,000km before the end of the year to enable it to get more funds under Marris.
Rahman said the performance of the drones and GPS would be reviewed from time to time to improve their effectiveness.
Hulu Terengganu district officer Azmi Razik said the drones could provide realtime information, which would enable the local authorities to take quick action, such as resurfacing potholes on roads, monitor floods, vandalism and traffic flow.
“They can enhance our efficiency in updating development records and provide us with a bird’s eye view of public places for safety, security and hygiene reasons. Unfortunately, the batteries have limited power. But, the drones will return to their base automatically when their batteries drop to 50 per cent,” Azmi said.