Authorities in Srinagar district have banned storage, sale, possession, use and transport of drones and similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the territorial jurisdiction of district.
Orders issued?
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Order asks the authorities to secure aerial space near vital installations and highly populated areas. Hence, it is mandatory to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings.
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Order to ban UAVs was issued under Section 144 of CrPC.
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Order reads, “decentralized airspace access needs to be regulated in the backdrop of episodes of misuse of drones, which are posing a threat to security infrastructure".
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also provided draft guidelines to regulate the use of drones with respect to weight classification, height or altitude restrictions, generation of Unique Identification Number, speed restriction etc.
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Persons who already having drone cameras or similar kind of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at their disposal, are required to ground it in local police station with proper receipt.
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Government departments using drones to map, conduct surveys and surveillance in agricultural, environment conservation and disaster mitigation sector are required to inform local Police station before undertaking any such activity in public interest.
Why this order was passed?
This order was passed in the backdrop of a drone attack on Jammu Air Force Station on June 27 using drones. This drone attack is being seen as a display of capability and an attempt to put pressure on fragile ceasefire which has been being maintained along the Line of Control (LoC) since February 2021. It also aimed for disrupting political process in Kashmir.