Rural police to procure anti-drone guns to curb night flying menace

The top official further explained that the guns would disrupt the communications system of drone flyers wherein the police can take control of those flying objects in the air

To curb the growing menace of high-flying drones in Daund, Baramati and Indapur talukas, Pune rural police will procure two anti-drone guns. Since April 2024, more than 20 incidents of high and low-flying drones have been reported and rural police have lodged ten complaints in this regard.

A special task force has been constituted by the rural SP wherein the police force has been trained in different aspects of drone flying and drone control by field experts. (HT PHOTO)

Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh confirmed the development, saying, “We have moved a proposal before the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) requesting for two anti-drone guns to curb the indiscriminate drone menace being faced by the citizens.”

The top official further explained that the guns would disrupt the communications system of drone flyers wherein the police can take control of those flying objects in the air. He further reasoned that the citizens had been complaining about being inconvenienced due to the constant flying of drones in rural areas during nighttime.

A special task force has been constituted by the rural SP wherein the police force has been trained in different aspects of drone flying and drone control by field experts. The police also gave information that a private drone company had given a demonstration to them, and the same type of anti-drone guns had been recommended for purchase by the police.

In September 2023, three tourists from Hyderabad were booked by the Lonavla city police for allegedly flying a drone in the highly restricted and sensitive Air Force Station zone in Lonavla while in September 2021, the Lonavla police had lodged an FIR against a youth for flying a drone in a restricted area near the Indian Naval Station (INS) Shivaji in Lonavla.

According to the drone rules 2021 released by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry Drones are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) that are controlled either by a pilot on the ground or with the help of technology.

The rules stated that registration of unmanned aircraft systems was mandatory, and no person shall operate an unmanned aircraft system without first registering it on the digital sky platform and obtaining a unique identification number, unless exempted from the requirement of a unique identification number under Drone Rules, 2021.