Odisha: Drones to keep a vigil during Hockey World Cup

Bhubaneswar:The Commissionerate of Police today decided to fly drones over Kalinga Stadium in Odisha capital during the Men’s Hockey World Cup, scheduled to be held in November-December to ensure full-proof security for the ensuing mega event.

Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty informed to the media, saying a special police team will be formed to man the task. “We will deploy drone cameras over Kalinga stadium in order to keep a close watch on players, officials, crowd and traffic near the venue during matches,” Mohanty said.

He said the special team will control and operate the drones from police control room. “Apart from CCTVs, the drone cameras will help us in getting a broad-side view of the entire stadium, all stands and crowd”.

Besides, the city cops will use a high-definition drone camera before and after a match in order to get a clear picture about the traffic and roads connected to the stadium.

The police commissioner also informed that stringent action will be taken if any one flies drones near the stadium or other sensitive places during the hockey world cup.

“Illegal flying of drones near the stadium during matches will not be allowed,” Mohanty added.

The World Cup will consist of a total of 36 matches spanning over 19 days. The first match will see World No. 3 Belgium take on World No. 11 Canada on November 28 at the 15,000-seater Kalinga Hockey Stadium

Earlier this month, the Odisha police had decided to adopt a technology that would detect, locate and identify the flying of illegal drones.

On September 11, a team of experts from a German-based firm had discussed with DGP R P Sharma on how to regulate the movement of drones by using the hi-tech drone detection system.