Bengaluru, Dec 31 (DHNS): The City police will use, for the first time, drone aerial cameras to monitor New Year celebrations on MG Road and Brigade Road on Wednesday. The remote-controlled cameras, which can hover at a height of 50 metres, will be used from December 31 night.

The drone, carrying night-vision high-definition cameras, will cover the crowd during the revelry. The drone-camera will be monitored from a controlled room set up by the police exclusively to monitor any eventuality during the celebrations. A police official said the drone service had been taken on rent by the city police just for New Year's bandobast. Drones were used for surveillance during the recent Dasara celebrations in Mysuru.

“For the first time, we are using aerial drone camera to monitor the New Year celebrations at M G Road and Brigade Road. The remote-controlled camera, which will go up to the height of 50 metres, can be monitored from a special control room,” DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil said.

Meanwhile, the Central Division police have made elaborate security arrangements in view of New Year celebrations. Policemen have been deployed round-the-clock from Tuesday evening itself.

Fourteen watch towers have been erected in the City. Ten of them are around MG Road. The watch towers have also been put up at Commercial Street and Indiranagar to keep a check on celebrations. Each watch tower will have two policemen, one with a fire arm and another with binoculars.

In unprecedented security measures during New Year’s Eve, the police have taken 75 closed circuit television cameras (CCTV). Eight CCTVs will be installed at Indiranagar and Commercial Street.

Twenty assistant commissioners of police, 91 inspectors, 220 sub inspectors, 333 assistant sub-inspectors, 992 head constables, 2,092 constables, 82 women constables, 1,300 home guards, 47 platoons from the Karnataka Special Reserve Police and the City Armed Reserve police will be deployed in the MG Road area on Wednesday.