Drone policy: Police HQ asks list of vital installations from districts

New Delhi: All police districts have been asked by the Delhi Police Headquarters to send the list of their vital installations, which will be submitting to the central government ministries regarding flying of drones, or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS).

As per the new drone policy, finalised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, flying of drones is set to become legal in India on December 1, 2018.

Sources told Millennium Post that once the policy comes into effect, police will be a steep rise in the number of applications seeking permission to fly drones.

As such, priority action is needed to meet the security requirements, especially around vital installations and strategic locations during various occasions ceremonies.

Sources also claimed that for operation of RPAS by general public, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is developing a mobile app named Digisky, using which any person can send application to the DGCA seeking permission to fly drones in a particular area.

The application will then be considered online by the concerned agencies, which include DGCA, central security agencies, as well as state and local police.

"The list containing vital installations is being collected by DGCA from the concerned ministries and security agencies. Once the details are obtained, the vital areas will be marked into three categories which will include Red Zone (flying not permitted), Yellow Zone (controlled airspace), and Green Zone (automatic permission). These will apply once the flying of drones becomes legal," said a senior police official.

Further, in order to facilitate ease of understanding the locations where flying drones will be permitted, a grid map of various zones in the state/vital areas is to be prepared by state/Union Territory police and disseminated to all stakeholders.

Currently, flying of drones needs prior permission from the government authorities. It is illegal to fly them without permission for civilian purposes.