Chhattisgarh polls: Drones deployed for surveillance of sensitive booths in Kanker

The footage captured by the drones will be sent to the control room and police would take action accordingly. Also, GPS is being installed in all vehicles engaged in poll work in the areas where elections will be held on Tuesday

Kanker: Sensitive polling booths in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district are under surveillance by drones. The local administration has termed the exercise as "Agas le Nanjar" in regional language meaning "monitoring from the sky."

District SP Divyang Patel said, "This time, the activities at the polling booths are being monitored. The police and administration are leaving no stones unturned to strengthen the security arrangements. Even drones have been deployed to closely monitor the polling stations located in remote areas of the district and their surrounding areas. These drones are equipped with an advance technology that can detect any kind of suspicious activity. The drones will constantly capture the footage and immediately send those to the control room. Based on the footage, police will reach the spots and take immediate action."

Also, Global Positioning System (GPS) is being installed in all the vehicles engaged in the polling work. A total of 354 vehicles have been identified where GPS will be installed.

District Collector Priyanka Shukla said, "GPS system will be installed in the vehicles carrying sector officers and polling parties to their respective polling stations. This will help us to monitor their locations from the control room."

Among the vehicles where GPS system is to be installed includes 94 vehicles of Kanker assembly constituency, 100 vehicles of Bhanupratappur assembly constituency and 160 vehicles of Antagarh assembly constituency of the district. Instructions have been given to the Static Surveillance Teams (SST) to be ready, Shukla said.

According to the District Election Officer, there are 221 polling stations in Antagarh Assembly constituency, 266 in Bhanupratappur Assembly constituency and 240 polling stations in Kanker Assembly constituency where elections will be conducted on Tuesday.

The returning officers have been instructed to take stock of the arrangements at all the polling booths. Training of the officers, employees and polling parties engaged in election work has been completed.