Drones Take On New Roles, but Rules Apply

Visakhapatnam: Drones are coming of age. Gone are the days when they were used only for simple purposes like photography from the sky.

This tiny aircraft is today used for agricultural monitoring, delivering critical supplies during natural disasters as was evident at the time of the recent floods in AP.

However, drones have no-go areas. In a city like Visakhapatnam that hosts major defence installations, there are strict regulations that govern drone use, to ensure national security and check chances of misuse.

The Drone Rules 2021 mandate that all drone operators must register their devices on the Digital Sky Platform and obtain a unique identification number. Violations can result in legal hassles.

Senior police officer Raj Kamal told Deccan Chronicle, "Before flying drones in an area, operators must obtain permission from the nearest police station. There are designated 'no-fly' zones. Most drone operators are aware of these restrictions.”

“Any breach will lead to immediate legal action," he stated.

Although no violation has been reported thus far, the ADCP emphasized that the police remain vigilant.

Drones are categorized into several weight classes depending on size like Nano Drones (up to 250 grams), Micro Drones (250 grams to 2kg), Small Drones (2 to 25kg) and Medium Drones (25 to 150kg).

India’s drone regulations divide airspace into Green, Yellow and Red zones. Green zones allow drones to operate without prior approval. Yellow zones require Air Traffic Control (ATC) permission, especially within 12km of airports. Red zones strictly prohibit drone activity without special permission from the central government.

Visakhapatnam’s airspace includes 48 Red zones and 93 Yellow zones.

Prominent locations in Red zones are the Eastern Naval Command, INS Kalinga, the Naval Dockyard, Hindustan Shipyard and the Naval Armament Depot (NAD).

Industrial installations such as the Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), ISPRL and Gangavaram Port also fall under Red zones.

The Yellow zones cover 93 areas. These include key infrastructure like the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, King George Hospital and Andhra University, as also popular tourism destinations like the Rushikonda Beach, the Kursura Submarine Museum and the Bheemili Beach.

Educational institutions, hotels and government buildings such as the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) also fall within these restricted zones.