PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to purchase drones to conduct surveys and keep watch on encroachments on nalas and rivers as well as mushrooming unauthorised constructions in the city. The PMC’s Building Permission and Development Department took the decision owing to the recent flash flood incidents in Katraj area.
While speaking to media, senior officials from PMC’s Building Permission and Development Department said, “Due to the flash flooding incidents, the civic body has decided to conduct a survey of encroachments on nalas to identify and take appropriate action over it. The PMC will purchase three drones for the surveys. These drones will also be used for keeping an eye on increasing unauthorised constructions. The drone surveys will help the civic body in analysing the information regarding city’s development.”
The PMC also lacks the manpower to conduct surveys and visit different areas in the city.
The drones will help them in saving time and provide details of the ongoing developments in the city. The civic body can use the drones for different works such as to keep a watch and stop illegal construction activities on open government lands, riversides dumping, encroachments on nalas, diversion of natural flows of the nalas, flood situation or other natural or manmade calamities, etc.
“If we hire a drone service from a private party, it will cost more and it will be time-bound. However, if we purchase the drones, it will save time and money for the surveys. We can use drones for several things. Now, we will have to make a proposal for purchasing the drones and take permission from the Standing Committee. The minimum cost starts from Rs 20,000 and it varies based on advance technology. For using the drones, we will have to take police permission which we will get as we will use for official purposes,” the officials said.
