Oh, shoot! Film, photo industries fear Srinagar drone ban will shutter businesses
Photographers and filmmakers in India’s Kashmir Valley have criticized a government ban on drones in the state capital Srinagar, with several saying on Monday that they feared for their livelihoods after the latest curbs.
On Sunday, a week after two explosive-laden drones injured two security personnel at an Indian Air Force base in Jammu, in Indian-held Kashmir, the Srinagar administration imposed a blanket ban on the use, possession and sale of the aerial devices in the Srinagar district, citing “security reasons.”
Drones were also sighted at the Ratnuchak-Kaluchak military base on Jammu outskirts for three days after the June 27 attack.
“The decentralized airspace access has to be regulated in view of recent episodes of misuse of drones posing a threat to security infrastructure,” the Srinagar administration said in its order.
“To secure the aerial space near the vital installations and highly populated areas, it is imperative to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings, to eliminate any risk of injury to life and damage of property,” it added.
Residents relying on drones for work, however, said that the restrictions could shutter their photography and filmmaking businesses.
There are more than 100 professional drone users in Srinagar — many registered with the government — who use the devices for filmmaking, and wedding photography and videos, after acquiring permission from local police.
“I work with Bollywood films and filmmakers from other parts of the country; they all need drones to shoot. The blanket ban affects the core of the business,” Shabir Bhat, a professional photographer and cinematographer based in Srinagar, told Arab News.
“When I heard about the drone ban, I was shocked. How come we professionals have become a security threat? I established myself with lots of effort, but suddenly, an uncertainty hangs on my future,” Bhat, 28, who shoots films and documentaries, added.
Filmmaker and line producer Irshad Bashir, who runs the Shampa Movies production house in Srinagar, said that the ban was a “setback” for the film and tourism industry in Kashmir.
“The government has been making an effort to promote Kashmir as a venue for film shoots and tourism, and the ban on drones is a big setback in that direction,” Bashir told Arab News.
Instead, he recommended that the government allow the use of drones “under the vigilance of a police or nodal officer.”
“We would submit a memorandum to the administration in this connection,” Bashir said.
Srinagar-based photographer Umer Maqbool said that he borrowed 150,000 Indian rupees ($2,000) last year to buy a drone for wedding shoots.