Kurnool Police Launch Drone Pilot Project for Traffic Monitoring

Quick Summary

• Kurnool police have started using drones to monitor and regulate traffic in the city.
• The initiative is under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil and is currently on a pilot basis.
• A dedicated drone was deployed on July 15, covering a two-kilometre stretch from Raj Vihar Circle to C-Camp.
• Traffic violations such as triple-riding, mobile phone usage while driving, and wrong-route driving were identified; 30 cases were booked within 24 hours using drone footage.
• Drones are also being used to monitor congestion at major junctions for swift deployment of mobile teams when needed.
• High vehicular movement due to the Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway passing through Kurnool city is compounded by encroachments, lack of parking spaces, and roadside vendors.
• The traffic department has only 60 officers working in shifts but ideally needs 80-90 personnel for effective management; drones are expected to alleviate manpower shortages.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The deployment of drones by Kurnool police marks an innovative approach toward urban traffic management in India. by leveraging technology effectively, authorities can maintain safety standards while addressing manpower deficits-a significant challenge across many fast-developing cities in the country like Kurnool. This pilot project offers insights into integrating advanced surveillance tools into public infrastructure solutions; however, it’s success hinges on proper implementation with adequate regulatory frameworks ensuring footage privacy concerns do not arise.

Additionally, this initiative highlights systemic issues like encroachments and insufficient parking facilities-common hurdles faced by growing cities on busy transport corridors such as the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway-requiring long-term policy interventions alongside technological innovations like drones.

read more: Traffic Management with Drones