NEW DELHI: With a nationwide lockdown in place to contain the spread of COVID-19, how are authorities ensuring that restrictions ordered by the government are being followed? Ground deployment of personnel is one way but that may not be sufficient. It’s here that the use of technology comes in handy and drones are doubling up as the ‘third eye’ of law enforcement authorities. In a discussion moderated by StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale, National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) member Lt Gen Subrata Saha (retd), who was the commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps during the devastating floods of 2014, narrates how the use of drones helped authorities launch precise rescue and relief operations in the Kashmir valley. He believes drones should be used, in combination with ground staff, to disinfect public spaces in the wake of the pandemic. Sunil Kolhe, additional commissioner of police, details how the Mumbai Police are using technology to keep a watch on densely populated areas like Dharavi. Harmeet Singh, additional director general of police, Assam, talks about how the state government is leveraging the use of technology and social media to reach out to the public. Romeo Durscher, who oversees disaster relief operations at DJI—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of drones—joined in the webinar from the United States, saying the use of drones have mitigated risks to the first responders on the ground.
