Hi-tech drones to keep eye on troublemakers in district

Aman Sood

Patiala, May 31

To ensure free and fair elections, the District Administration is taking extra measures to monitor potential troublemakers in all Assembly segments of the district with the help of hi-tech drones from May 31 to June 1.

The District Election Officer, Showkat Ahmad Parray, said it is the duty of the District Administration to uphold peace, law, and order in the district during the General Election. He said that in addition to deploying a sufficient number of police and CAPF personnel to ensure smooth and peaceful voting, the drones would help prevent any anti-social elements from disrupting the polling process.

He said, “Our aim is to check the distribution of liquor and other freebies in the district. We are using drones for nighttime surveillance in sensitive areas, especially where we have received input regarding the possible movement of liquor or cash. To curb these practices, the District Administration is keeping a close eye on these areas.”

He said 13 polling locations have been identified as expenditure-sensitive pockets in the assembly segments, including Nabha, Rajpura, Ghanaur, Sanour, Patiala Urban, Samana and Shutrana, which fall under the Patiala constituency. He added that specially trained teams are using drones and UAVs to keep a vigil in these areas.

The DEO said, “These drones will oversee the voting process at polling stations and the monitoring will be coordinated from an integrated command control centre at the District Administrative Complex by the District Administration.”

Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said the Election Commission is keeping a strict vigil on the distribution of liquor, cash and other valuables to lure voters ahead of the June 1 poll in the state. In addition to liquor and cash, poll observers are now on the prowl to check any distribution of coolers, fridges, and other electronic and household items, including furniture, to woo the electorate.

He said special teams have been deployed to check the distribution of cash, liquor, or freebies of any kind among voters in the slum and other areas. “Special teams will be keeping vigil for the whole night and also during the polling time on Saturday,” said the SSP.

The Election Commission has appointed Ram Mohan Mishra, IAS (Retd: 87), as the special general observer for Haryana and Punjab to review the poll preparedness.

During his visit to Patiala today, Mishra held a meeting with all key officials involved in the election process, including observers, the District Election Officer (DEO), the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and other nodal officers of the constituency. He held a detailed discussion with general observer Om Prakash Bakoria, expenditure observer Meetu Aggarwal, police observer Amir Javed, DEO Showkat Ahmad Parray and SSP Varun Sharma. In the light of the ongoing heat wave, he gave specific directions to officials to ensure the safety and comfort of voters.