Anti-drone system installed at Taj Mahal, mock drill conducted
The anti-drone system was installed at the Taj Mahal on Friday and a mock drill was conducted, mainly in the backyard of the Taj, it being a day of closure for common visitors.
The anti-drone system is to detect the origin and current location of a drone flying within 8 km range. A drone within 500 meters radius around Taj Mahal dome is to be neutralised, said ACP, Taj Security, Syed Areeb Ahmed.
On being asked about drones being flown by tourists for photography purposes, Ahmed clarified that no drones will be allowed in 'no drone flying' area.
'Any drone flown by anyone in the prohibited skyline of the Taj Mahal will be detected by an anti drone system and its origin will also be traced and legal action will be taken accordingly,'' Ahmed said.
Steps were initiated recently to set up an anti-drone system at the Taj Mahal, a Unesco-listed World Heritage monument in Agra to counter potential aerial threats.
Police personnel were trained for effective use of this new technological layer, Ahmed said.
At present, the monument is guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) inside and by UP police around the walls, he added.
The move comes after India carried out precise strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
A wave of artillery shelling, missiles and drone strikes were carried out by Pakistan. All aerial threats were neutralised by the Indian armed forces.
'The system will automatically jam the signal of any drone entering the area, rendering it inoperable through what is known as a 'soft kill,' he added.
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