Hassan: Anyone using a drone to photograph the Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola without permission of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) could invite trouble as it is considered a threat to both the colossal statue and devotees climbing up Vindhyagiri Hill to it.
The ASI wants even the police to seek its permission for use of the drones. Besides ,it would like the police to get clearance from the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Hassan Deputy Commissioner before opting to use them anywhere near the statue.
The worry is the unmanned drones could smash into the monolithic historic statue and damage it or hit the devotees climbing up the hill to have darshan of it. "If something goes wrong and the drone camera rams into the statue, who will repair it?" asks Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Bengaluru Circle, Moortheswari.
Pointing out that drones can fly very high and take shots not only of the monument, but also its surroundings, which could be of vital security interest, the officer asserts that every Tom, Dick and Harry cannot be permitted to use them.Ms Moortheswari regrets that a senior police officer posted for the Mahamastakabhisheka too crossed the line when he used drones to shoot images of the Bahubali statue a couple of days ago.
