Drones to keep eye on violators in containment zones in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA : The city police have started deploying drones to keep an eye on those defying social distancing norms, officials said on Tuesday.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the police are clicking pictures of violators through drone cameras who will be identified with the help of area residents working as traffic volunteers, police informers and civic body employees. They will be warned of action through text messages.

Around 102 WhatsApp messages have been sent to violators so far.Division Number 2 and 4 police stations have sent 97 messages to violators through WhatsApp and five messages were sent to those living in a containment zone.

Additional deputy commissioner of police Deepak Pareek said, “The Ludhiana police are using drones to identify violators in containment zones. The drones can enter narrow lanes and provide a bird’s eye view. The footage, collected by drones, is continuously analysed by dedicated IT teams.”

With the deployment of drones, There is also no physical contact. Initially, a warning would be served, but a repeated offender will have to face the music as challans will be issued to them,” said Pareek.