High definition cameras installed on drones will keep an eye on forests along Uttarakhand’s border with Nepal and China, tracking poachers, timber mafia and Maoists, officials said. The drones are also expected to play a crucial role in disaster management and employment generation, they added. “A Drone Application and Training Centre (DATC) will be set up here soon,” a state government source said. According to sources, employees of the departments of forests, disaster management and police would also be trained in all aspects of drone operations. Drones will also prove to be a boon in tracking the timber mafia and criminals engaged in poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

Source: Hindustan Times November 17, 2017 17:26 UTC