PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Haridwar
The Municipal Corporation of Haridwar (MCH) will use drones to monitor the cleanliness arrangements during the Kanwad Yatra for the first time this year. With preparations underway for the smooth organisation of the pilgrimage, the corporation has introduced this step to ensure real-time surveillance of the city’s ghats and surrounding areas.
The Haridwar municipal commissioner Nandan Kumar informed that the drone service has been outsourced to a private agency that will operate throughout the Kanwad Mela. The drone service system enables instant tracking of garbage and crowd management at key locations. When waste is spotted at any ghat, the drone captures an image along with the location and sends it directly to an authorised WhatsApp group monitored by key sanitation officials.
He informed that all chief sanitation inspectors linked to their respective zones will be part of this group. They initiate immediate cleaning action based on the received images. Supervisors stationed at the ghats will be responsible for ensuring swift execution of the cleaning task. Kumar said that to manage the heavy footfall of pilgrims expected during the Kanwad Yatra, MCH has deployed additional sanitation workers at each ghat. Supervisors and nodal officers have been appointed for every major ghat to oversee the work. These officers are also responsible for managing anti-encroachment operations during the event. Kumar said the integration of drones is part of a broader effort to strengthen the city’s sanitation system using technology. The aim is to make the entire monitoring process quicker and more accountable, while reducing dependence solely on manual checks.
The commissioner said that this move marks a shift in the city’s approach to handling large-scale religious gatherings, combining human effort with technology. The corporation plans to continue using such methods in future events to maintain the city’s standards during high-pressure periods, he added.
