Drones keep eagle eye on Pushkaralu

​Vijayawada: Tech-savvy Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday asserted that the government would use latest technology in all its activities to provide better and quality services to people.

The Chief Minister monitored the bathing ghats along the Krishna river in the three districts of Kurnool, Guntur and Krishna from the Command Control Centre established at the Police Headquarters. He reviewed availability of water near the ghats, pilgrims’ rush, sanitation, traffic management using drones and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Briefing presspersons about the technology being used by the government to monitor Pushkaralu, the Chief Minister said that drones have been engaged at all the 170 bathing ghats in three districts besides the use of CCTV cameras.

The Chief Minister said that the devices are used to keep a regular watch on the bathing ghats. “The video footage collected from these devices is being sent to the students of various engineering colleges across the state for analysis and report to the government,” he added.

The Chief Minister, while monitoring the screens spotted seepage of water at Padmavathi ghat in Vijayawada captured by drone cameras.

He immediately instructed the ghat in-charge over phone to make them control the seepage and clean up the mess.
He told the media persons that the technology has come handy for him to monitor the activities at the ghats.

The officials were also able to divert the pilgrims to the ghats where the rush is low. This had helped the officials to distribute pilgrims to different ghats thus avoiding stampede at the ghats, he said.

The Chief Minister said that his government would introduce the same technology to deliver better and quality services to the people. The drone technology and CCTV cameras would be used extensively in the government offices, educational institutions and in major cities.

The Chief Minister said that the CCTV cameras installed in the cities would also help the administration to keep a check on the movement of anti-social elements.

The State government’s IT department was asked to develop new applications, including mobile applications for better interaction with the people, particularly the beneficiaries of welfare programmes.

He said he would have direct contact with the beneficiaries for feedback on the implementation of the welfare programmes.

“The intervention of technology would bring down human interface in the government activities thus extending quality services to people,” Chandrababu Naidu said.

DGP N Sambasiva Rao, political secretary, N Srikanth, IT secretary P S Pradyumna, advisor to the government Dr Parakala Prabhakar and other senior officers were present at the review meeting with the Chief Minister.