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Helicopters can't monitor traffic, Mr Home Minister |
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By: Aditya Anand & Vinod Kumar Menon |
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Date:
2009-06-23 |
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Place: Mumbai |
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Aviation experts tell Aditya Anand why Jayant Patil's idea to have choppers for traffic surveillance is a bad one
The state government impressed by the New York Police Department may have grandiose plans of acquiring a helicopter exclusively for the city's police force, but what hampers the idea of using it for security and traffic surveillance are Mumbai's high rises and already stressed air-traffic procedures.
Aviation experts have scotched State Home Minister Jayant Patil's announcement of procuring a dedicated helicopter for the police.
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Bikers' club: While the debate on using helicopters for security and traffic surveillance continues, the state government armed the Mumbai police with 160 new bikes at Marine Drive yesterday. | "The major drawback will be the high-rise buildings and towers in the city," said aviation expert Vipul Saxena, adding that with a need to maintain a minimum 1,000 ft height from the tallest building, people and traffic will look like ants to the naked eye.
Since Mumbai does not have a dedicated corridor for helicopters to fly in, Saxena feels that the chopper would at best be effective in surveillance along the beaches.
"It will also come in handy conducting rescue operations from high-rise buildings in case of fire incidents/terrorist attacks and also for quick deployment of the police force," he said.
Big chopper
Col M P Chaudhary, a retired NSG commando, said, "Mumbai does not have a system like Singapore or Hong Kong, where every car can be monitored and its speed known through special CCTVs alone.
The cameras will also help identify traffic congestion, which is practically impossible with a chopper."
About transportation of cops, Chaudhary said, "A helicopter like a Chetak will not suffice since it can only seat two people. What the cops need is the expensive MI 8 or MI 14 that can carry at least 10 commandos."
Helipad security
Experts also believe that what is of immediate importance is increasing surveillance of the various unused/unmanned runways and helipads (being used by non-scheduled operators).
"This will enable the police to keep a vigil on the activities in terms of customs or excise violations or even to rule out smugglings," said Saxena.
Major Bharath Kumar, a retired Bureau of Civil Aviation Security official, added, "Helipads at Mahalaxmi, Taloja, Dahanu, Vapi and others in Navi Mumbai all remain unmanned. It is only when a VVIP is flying that the policemen make their presence felt."
Air vice-marshal (retd) K Sridharan, president, Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), said if the state government insisted on surveillance through choppers, air traffic management procedures on the Mumbai Airport would need major amendments, which will be a tedious task for the Airport Authority of India and the Director General of Civil Aviation.
Inputs by Vinod Kumar Menon
Drawbacks
Flying height restrictions of 1,000 ft above any building
No flying zones: Raj Bhavan and BARC
No dedicated flying corridors for choppers
Plus points
Rescue operations from high-rise building in case of fire incident/terrorist attacks
Quick deployment of police force at sites of emergency
Will help in surveillance of coastal areas like beaches |
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