Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi reviews statewide rollout of drone-based monitoring, digital mapping and geospatial intelligence projects
Chandigarh: Haryana will institutionalise drone technology as a core governance tool, deploying AI-powered surveillance and high-resolution geospatial mapping to detect illegal constructions, monitor mining, map civic infrastructure, assess legacy waste sites, and track pollution statewide.
At the meeting of Board of Directors of Drone Imaging and Information Services of Haryana Ltd. (DRIISHYA) here today, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi assessed progress on key technology initiatives and instructed officials to accelerate implementation to support evidence-based governance, regulatory enforcement, and public service delivery.
The meeting highlighted the AI-powered Change Detection Application, designed to automatically identify unauthorised constructions and encroachments using high-resolution drone imagery. Nearly 800 sq km have been mapped across Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal, Panipat, and Yamunanagar, creating one of the state’s largest urban geospatial databases for planning, monitoring, and enforcement. The Chief Secretary also reviewed DRIISHYA’s digital mapping of municipal assets in Gurugram.
Commissioner & Secretary, CRID, J Ganesan informed that the project has digitised road networks, footpaths, central verges, and berms, and nearly 60,000 manholes and gully traps are being geo-referenced with centimetre-level accuracy. This digital inventory is expected to improve urban infrastructure management, maintenance planning, and emergency response.
During the review of monthly drone surveillance at Khanak Stone Mine, eight phases of drone surveys are complete and volumetric assessment reports for six phases have been prepared. This initiative enables scientific monitoring of mining activities and accurate assessment of excavation volumes using advanced geospatial analytics. The meeting also reviewed drone-based volumetric assessments of legacy waste sites under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0.
J Ganesan informed that surveys have been completed across 16 Municipal Corporations, and reports have been submitted to authorities to support scientific remediation of waste dumps and improve landfill management.
Surveys, thermal imaging and videography of major drains for the Haryana State Pollution Control Board are also being undertaken. The initiative aims to identify illegal discharge points, monitor pollution hotspots, and support enforcement against environmental violations. Surveys of several major drains have already been completed, while work on the remaining stretches is in progress.
He said all projects use advanced technologies, including the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), the Survey of India’s Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network, high-resolution RGB drones, and specialised geospatial processing software. These tools enable centimetre-level positional accuracy for government applications.
Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi stated that integrating drone and geospatial technologies into governance will improve transparency, strengthen regulatory oversight, and enable data-driven decision-making. He directed all departments to complete ongoing projects on schedule so drone-generated intelligence becomes a core part of Haryana’s urban management, environmental monitoring, and public administration.
CEO, DRIISHYA, Phool Kumar Singh, and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.
