With a continuous rise in the number of Coronavirus cases in the National Capital which now stands at 1700, Delhi administration has added about 68 containment zones, also known as the red zone or hotspots. The red zones are announced by the district administration after three or more Coronavirus cases emerge in a particular area.
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide-lockdown until 3rd May 2020 to curb the spread of this virus, some people continue to be mischievous and violate the prohibitory orders in place.
From enforcing social distancing on the roads and spraying disinfectants, the city police have been proactive in dealing with violators. However, the growing number of cases have forced the city police and civic agencies to adopt drones as an extension of their forces.
The drones are operated by a supervisor who is under the protection of policemen. Recently, a drone was used by Delhi police to monitor east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden which is now a containment zone.
This move comes at a very interesting time when the government is also planning to open up a few zones by 20th April, which are not impacted as much due to COVID-19, to spearhead some economic activities.
In India, Madhya Pradesh’s Indore was among the first to use drones to spray disinfectant, followed by Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The deputy commissioner of police, Shahdara, Dinesh Gupta, said that drones are a success as they come in handy at locations with high population density such as Delhi.
Public places like ration shops, banks and religious places are under close surveillance and so far Delhi Police have detained more than 2,000 violators.
