Bhubaneswar: Excise department has adopted drone technology to trace illicit liquor operations in inaccessible forest areas. The department launched this aerial surveillance approach as a trial initiative in the reserve forests near Saraswatipur village in Cuttack district’s Athagarh area.
Three unmanned aerial vehicles helped enforcement officials detect an illicitly distilled (ID) or country-made liquor manufacturing unit in the thick forest areas. It resulted in the seizure of over 5,000 litres of jaggery-fermented brew and 600 litres of country liquor.
“We will expand the drone technology to other districts. This technological advancement represents a significant step forward in tackling the issue of liquor syndicates who choose remote, heavily forested areas for their unlawful activities,” state excise commissioner Narasingha Bhol said.
The drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging capabilities. These drones can cover vast areas quickly, identifying suspicious activities and makeshift distilleries from above. The aerial surveillance has proven particularly effective in scanning remote locations and challenging terrains where traditional patrolling is difficult.
“Officers have received specialised training to operate these drones and interpret the aerial footage. The thermal imaging helps detect heat signatures from illegal brewing operations, especially during night-time surveillance. The department has established a central monitoring station where the drone footage is analysed and coordinated with ground teams for swift action,” an excise source said.
The drone surveillance will also be used to identify transportation routes used by bootleggers, enabling authorities to set up strategic checkpoints. “We are also implementing a digital mapping system to mark known hotspots and track patterns of illegal activities. Regular drone patrols will create a deterrent effect, with a noticeable decrease in illegal brewing activities,” an excise officer said.
The technology has not only improved the efficiency of enforcement operations but also ensures the safety of excise officers who previously had to conduct risky physical searches in remote locations and were attacked by liquor smugglers. The department is now working on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the detection capabilities of these drones and streamline the monitoring process.
Last week, excise minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the state govt will implement stricter measures against illegal liquor operations through upcoming changes in the excise policy. Officials said the excise department’s priority will be to check cross-border infiltration of liquor, illegal transportation, storage, sale, and illicit distillation of liquor and to prevent hooch tragedies. As many as 231 persons died by consuming spurious liquor since 1992 in the state, official sources said.