BENGALURU: Following repeated outbreaks of fire in Bellandur Lake, which the civic agencies have maintained was caused by miscreants, the BBMP is set to take elaborate measures to increase surveillance in the lake.The measures involve hiring retired army men for multiple roles — to patrol the area around the lake, pilot camera-mounted drones that would fly over the lake and navigate a motorboat. BBMP also plans to erect two watchtowers around the lake. It has approached HAL to get permission for the drone, and has been told to submit a flight plan. BBMP has acquired the drone at a cost of `70-80,000.
BBMP Joint Commissioner (Health, Solid Waste Management) Sarfaraz Khan told Express that eight retired personnel from the Madras Engineer Group of the Army, also known as the Madras Sappers, would be deployed to patrol the area. The motorboat, if the proposal is approved by the BBMP Commissioner, will be purchased at a cost of `2.5 lakh, with an additional `2 lakh for the motor.“I have requested for someone from Madras Sappers to navigate the boat. The water is shallow and slushy, and there is a lot of hyacinth which makes it tough to manoeuvre it, and so we need the Army’s expertise,” he said.
BBMP also plans to deploy ex-army men to pilot two drones. Purohit, a consultant who has procured the drone and will programme its flight path, will train the personnel to pilot it. Khan said as the flight path would have been fixed by Purohit, it would be easy for them to fly the drone. He added that the HAL airport’s proximity to the lake was a security concern.
“The officers will coordinate with airport authorities and ensure that no drone will fly
when any helicopter is flying,” he said.The acquired drone weighs 500gm and can take high-quality pictures of 4k resolution. It can reach an altitude of 4 km and can fly for 20 minutes on one flight, which Khan says is enough to cover the whole lake.