High-tech gadgets to safeguard Polavaram

Rajahmundry: Police started using high-tech gadgets like a high definition drone camera, GPS tracking devices and high resolution CCTV cameras to secure the Polavaram irrigation project site at Polavaram in West Godavari and the VIPs visiting the place. The  project site is located in the hilly ranges spread across nearly 30 sq km area. The location is infested with Maoists. Under these circumstances, police had been finding it difficult to ensure security cover for visiting VVIPs like Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Central ministers and top officials from various agencies.

To ensure fool-proof security cover, the police started deploying a drone camera to scan the area a day before the scheduled visit of a VVIP. A high definition camera fixed to the drone gives live video footage of the terrain at the project site. As there are steep valleys and high rise hill ranges located, the drone camera will give clear view of the entire project site as it hovers in the air. A senior police officer inspects the live view of the drone camera to sanitise the project area and gives green signal for the visit of VVIP.

APSP personnel are also being deployed to take care of VVIP visit and to regularly make security checks of the project site. Senior police officers will give a route map for each security person to guard in the tough hilly terrain. There is, however, a possibility that the security personnel may skip some areas as it would be difficult to keep tab on all places. To avoid such lapse, the police are using GPS tracking device to keep track on movement of the security personnel. In case they fail to move in the route assigned to them, the GPS tracking will help the senior officers to find it out and take the personnel who are failing to do their job properly to task.

Both the Centre and the state government are keen on executing the Polavaram project expeditiously. Some foreign agencies have been roped in to take up highly technical works in execution of various components of the project. High-end machinery has been deployed at the project site while some foreign nationals work at the site. Any lapse in security cover at the project site is unwarranted.

Police has deployed as many as 30 CCTV cameras at strategic locations of the project site with a command and control centre set up at the project site itself to keep tab of the project area. There is no a proposal to install 20 more CCTV cameras and live telecast of video footage from all installed CCTV cameras at the offices of West Godavari SP and DSP, Polavaram which is pending. Polavaram DSP A.P.V Ravi Kumar said, “We have started using a drone camera and  tracking of security personnel through GPS for area domination at the site to provide better security cover to VVIPs and also to Polavaram project site.”