Bhubaneswar, Oct 11: East Coast Railway (ECoR) is leading Indian Railways in drone based surveillance, deploying 11 drones across its three divisions, with plans to increase fleet to 22 by March 2027.

The initiative strengthened railway security, passenger safety, crowd management and railway asset protection.

Named “DROAWK EYE”, Observation, Prevention, Detection” the system supported the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in monitoring vulnerable locations and detecting suspicious activities. Four drones have been deployed in the Khurda road, six in Sambalpur and one in Rayagada division, supported by 160DGCA-certified drone pilots. The network covered 284 stations, 2708 route kilometers and 6072 track kilometers across 31 RPF posts.

 From January 1 to September 15, 2026, RPF conducted 3,033 drone sorties, including 680 in Khurda Road, 1,024 in Rayagada and 1,329 in Sambalpur Division. Of these, 1,265 RED coded sorties focused on critical security activities, including prevention of sabotage and stone pelting, detection of cable theft and fire safety monitoring.

Equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, drones monitored forests, hilly terrain, tunnels, bridges and isolated stretches, including the Koraput–Rayagada–Kirandul line. They also helped detect trespassing, theft and encroachment, monitor stations, coaching yards and vital installations, and support investigations and disaster management.

Drones played a key role in crowd management in Puri rath yatra 2026. It also supported woman safety under the Meri Saheli initiative, cleanliness drive, environmental protection and vulnerable asset monitoring. Live surveillance and audio warnings helped discourage unauthorized track crossing and stone pelting.

Each drone team could monitor approximately 8-10 kilometers, improving coverage and security personnel deployment.