Mumbai: The state Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to integrate drone technology into its operations for surveying, monitoring, and inspecting roads, bridges, and buildings.
About The Decision
In a circular issued on Tuesday, the PWD directed its regional and divisional offices to adopt drone technology, outlining comprehensive guidelines for its usage. PWD engineers can now deploy drones to inspect bridges that are typically inaccessible during monsoons, survey high-rise buildings over 18 meters tall, and assess land acquisition sites to streamline compensation payments.
Drones will also assist in topographical surveys of land parcels exceeding 10 acres and in mapping government-owned vacant plots for creating a land bank. The technology will be instrumental in surveying hazardous structures, assessing damage from landslides and floods, and monitoring infrastructure submerged in water.
For large-scale projects exceeding ₹100 crore, drones will be used to track progress and draft reports. Regional PWD offices will oversee drone usage, maintain a central database, and contribute to formulating a second-phase drone policy, the circular states
