DEHRADUN: A special permission will be required to operate drones in Uttarakhand from January 31, 2020. Amit Sinha, Director, Information Technology Development Center said, 'We have identified areas where permission will be allowed. There are zones along with green, yellow and red zones depending on threat assessments.'
The move came in the wake of increasing drone activity in the state which has 71 per cent of forestland and shares borders with two countries-Nepal and China.
Apart from this, registration on android mobile application of Directorate of Civil Aviation will also be required for operating drone anywhere in the hill state.
No usage of any kind of drones will be allowed in red zone while in yellow zone permission can be granted by DGCA after which state police will verify it. In the green zone operation of the drone will be allowed by the state police after background verification check.
Newly formed guidelines also prohibit flying drones by persons below 18-years of age. State government officials also added that the decision will allow them to keep track of the drones which is important given the security and other concerns.
Uttarakhand is set to host one of a kind 'India Drone Festival' in February 2020. The theme of the festival is 'Anti-drone Technology' said the officials from Drone Application and Research Centre (DARC), Uttarakhand.
The two day festival from February 19-20, 2020 is organized to address various issues related to 'Counter Drone' technologies to promote the creation of intelligent solutions in future.
Drone Application and Research Centre (DARC) happens to be a joint initiative of the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA), the government of Uttarakhand and NationalTechnical Research Organization (NTRO).