Soon, drones may help patrol Mumbai-Pune Expressway

In the backdrop of an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway earlier this week that left six people dead, the state government is considering taking the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), known as drones, to help patrolling on the Expressway.

The state has decided to deploy 120 jawans of the Maharashtra Ex-Servicemen Corporation Limited (Mesco) for improving vigilance and ensuring traffic regulations are followed on the Expressway, the minister of state (home) Deepak Kesarkar informed the House on Thursday.

The Expressway has been in the news after an accident on June 5 that claimed 17 lives and injured 43 others after a private bus rammed into two cars before falling into a deep ditch. Following the mishap, PWD minister Eknath Shinde, along with transport minister Diwakar Raote and state highway police officers, carried out an inspection.

Thereafter, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis called a meeting on June 7, in which he directed work to be started on an action plan to enhance road safety on the Expressway.

Previously, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has, on various instances, assured it would make the Expressway safe by installing CCTV cameras and making a trauma centre along air ambulance services available. But, till date, none of these essential facilities have been made available.

In the case of using drones, MSRDC officials claimed it is one option that has been kept aside, but the authority is not sure whether it will be a practical idea.

“There are various permissions required for using drones and several rules and norms will have to be amended to use drones for patrolling,” said an MSRDC bureaucrat.