J&K authorities ban use, possession & transport of drones in Srinagar

NEW DELHI: Just days after explosives-laden drones targeted an IAF station in Jammu airport, the Srinagar authorities on Sunday banned the sale, possession and use of any unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the city.
The decision comes amid fears in the security establishment about similar attacks wherein drones are used to target vital installations in the Valley.

Earlier, authorities in border districts of Rajouri and Kathua in the Jammu region had put curbs on the use of drones and other UAVs in the wake of the terror attack last Sunday.
In an order, deputy commissioner of Srinagar Mohammad Aijaz directed those having drone cameras or other similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles to deposit them in local police stations.
The order, however, exempted government departments using drones for mapping, surveys and surveillance in agricultural, environmental conservation and disaster mitigation sectors but directed them to inform the local police station before using them.

The administration cautioned that any violation of the guidelines will attract punitive action, and directed police to implement the restrictions in letter and spirit.
“The decentralised airspace access has to be regulated in view of recent episodes of misuse of drones posing threat to security infrastructure as reported by media/other reliable sources,” the order said.
To “secure the aerial space” near the vital installations and highly populated areas, it is “imperative” to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings to eliminate any risk of injury to the life and damage of property, the order said.
“Keeping in view the security situation, apart from concerns of breach of privacy, nuisance and trespass, it is extremely dangerous to let unmanned aerial vehicles wander around in the skies within the territorial jurisdiction of district Srinagar,” it said.
The district magistrate imposed "restrictions/ban on the storage, sale/ possession, use and transport of drones/similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles in the city".
Two drones dropped explosives at an Indian Air Force station in Jammu last week. Two IAF personnel sustained minor injuries in the attack.
It was possibly the first such terror attack in India. J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said that the drones likely came from across the border and suspected the involvement of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Earlier this week, Army chief General MM Naravane had said that Indian armed forces are developing capabilities to deal with the ever-increasing threat from drones.
“Drones will increasingly be used in all sorts of combat in the future by both state and non-state actors. We are catering to both the offensive use of drones, while also focusing on defensive measures through anti-drone technologies to prevent any attack on our critical facilities,” the Army chief had said at a virtual seminar.
(With inputs from agencies)