Drones hovering over Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition’s official residence were deployed for mapping houses: Officials

Shimla, August 31

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The drones hovering over the official residence of Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur were not for surveillance but deployed by the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) for mapping the houses under 24x7 water supply scheme, officials said on Saturday.

Thakur had created a commotion in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday alleging that his residence was under drone surveillance operated from the local SP’s residence, but the SJPNL set the record straight, saying a survey for mapping of houses was being done through drones by the company with due permission from the government.

“Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping is a part of the work awarded for the 24x7 water supply project for Shimla city for data collection and planning, SJPNL Managing Director Devender Thakur said.

The SJPNL had got permission from the state government to fly drones in the municipal corporation area for GIS mapping of all the properties from August 5 to September 9, 2024, he added.

The drone survey is an effective mapping exercise for designing and laying a water pipeline network for the state capital, said officials, adding that a survey of every ward is being done and pictures are also being taken, besides taking a record of water consumption of every household.

Jai Ram Thakur, the then chief minister in 2022, had laid the foundation stone of the first phase of this project. The SJPNL gave the responsibility of the Rs 872 crore second phase of the project to Suez India company.