THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram city police have urged the state police chief to designate the vicinity of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple as a no-fly zone for helicopters.
City police commissioner C H Nagaraju’s proposal comes in the wake of a private helicopter circling the temple on July 28, despite it being a high-security zone.
Nagaraju submitted a formal request to state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb three days ago, seeking his intervention in declaring the area off-limits to helicopter flights.
Currently, flying drones above and near the temple is prohibited. The DGP will make a decision on the proposal after consulting the government.
On Friday, BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, who is also the representative of the Centre in the temple’s administrative committee, lodged a complaint with the commissioner and the DGP about the helicopter incident. Nagaraju said a no-fly zone for helicopters was proposed considering the potential risks associated with the temple’s vicinity.
Restriction on flying drones in place
“I have specifically requested for a no-fly zone for helicopters in the area. Given the proximity of the temple to the airport, we cannot request a complete no-fly zone. The area already has restrictions on flying drones. Hence, I have requested to extend the restrictions to helicopters as well,” said Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner C H Nagaraju.
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, located in the heart of the capital city, gained prominence in 2011 when an apex court committee discovered six vaults within its premises. With only vault B left unopened, the treasure found in the other five vaults is estimated to be valued at over Rs 1 lakh crore.
The temple now boasts a state-of-the-art security system and is under special protection by the Kerala Police. It operates as a high-security zone, with a committee monitored by the apex court overseeing all activities.
Given the existing drone curbs in the temple’s vicinity, the recommendation for a helicopter no-fly zone now requires the state police chief to coordinate with the Director General of Civil Aviation to implement this measure.