By Zaffar Iqbal
Srinagar, Feb 1 (IANS): In an effort to boost technical capabilities, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has floated global tenders to procure Remotely Operated Vehicle (RoV), a device used to detect and defuse explosives without human intervention.
The cost of robotic machinery procured for detecting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other explosives ranges between Rs 5 crore and Rs 20 crore.
After procurement, the J&K police will be the country's first police force to have such high-end equipment for bomb detection and disposal.
"The robotic machine will help reduce human intervention in tracing explosives," Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Provision and Transport (J&K Police), Mubashir Latifi said. "Only a few organisations in the country have such equipment. The state police is procuring the muti-crore machinery for the first time."
The state police has floated online tenders from original manufacturers or their authorized dealers having proper authorization of the manufacture for the supply of Remotely Operated Vehicle (RoV). The tenders will be opened online on February 15, 2020.
"ROVs can work in snow and other adverse weather conditions," Latifi said.
The robotic machines are highly manoeuvrable and would give a major boost in anti-militancy operations.
The RoVs being used by the Indian Army since 2010 are named Daksh. These are developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The machines are primarily designed to recover IEDs by safely locating and destroying all types of hazardous objects.