In an attempt to stop open defecation on the banks of the reservoir in Karimnagar district, the Telangana police are using drones. The police began flying drones in the area on Monday to catch people red handed.
Karimnagar’s Commissioner of Police, V. B. Kamalasan Reddy explained, “The number of people indulging in open defecation has come down drastically by Wednesday.”
Initially, drones were used at the reservoir to save people trying to commit suicide and to keep a watch on drunkards.
Reddy explained why the drones’ purpose were changed, “But recently, we have been receiving a lot of complaints from local walkers’ association that some people from the nearby slums and weaker sections’ colonies go to the banks of the lake to ease themselves early in the morning and they want the help of the police to prevent them. It then struck us that the drone camera can also be used to identify such people.”
Although these families have toilets they still defecate in public. The commissioner said, “Yet, people were habituated to come out early in the morning for open defecation, despite the hectic campaign about Swachh Bharat in the last two years. So, we thought we could shame them by exposing them through drone camera.”
The police recorded the locals defecating and then showed the visuals to the people and counseled them. The people understood the problems of defecating in public and agreed to cooperate.
The police will continue the drone surveillance and will also watch for pig rearers who dirty the reservoir’s water.
