The Maharashtra home department is considering the use of drones to control and identify vehicles that do not follow traffic rules.
The Maharashtra home department is considering the use of drones to control and identify vehicles that do not follow traffic rules. Such drones will be employed on the Mumbai-Pune Express way in the initial stage, as a pilot project.
A meeting was held between the home department and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at Mantralaya on Tuesday. Minister of state for home (urban) Deepak Kesarkar and MSRDC minister Eknath Shinde attended the meeting.
According to Mr Kesarkar, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has become a potential death trap as several people have died in road accidents there. “The incidents of road accidents have increased due to the indiscipline of those drivers who drive rashly. We don’t have control over such drivers since the length of the Expressway is too much for the number of policemen available for surveillance.”
Mr Kesarkar said, “There is a need to control traffic, but using CCTV cameras has limitations. Hence, we have decided to use drones on the Expressway.”
The drones will be used at the load line of the ‘ghat’ section on the Expressway, where the setting up of CCTV cameras is not possible.
“Heavy goods trucks usually cut lanes to overtake vehicles. In such a situation, traffic jams are caused. The drones will take pictures during such situations and the transport department will take action against the vehicles concerned,” Mr Kesarkar said, adding that even if small vehicles break the rules, they will have to face action.
The site for the use of the drones has not yet been decided. MSRDC will submit its report to the home department within the next 15 days, Mr Kesarkar added.
Initially, four to five drones will be hired from private companies for the Expressway. Depending upon the results on the Expressway, the home department will consider using drones in Mumbai city as well. “Before installing CCTVs in Mumbai, we will use drones in those traffic islands where traffic conjunction is a usual headache for the traffic police department,” Mr Kesarkar said.
