The unmanned aerial vehicles have been pressed intoservice over densely-populated localities -- Hatibagan andShyambazar in northern part of the city and Burrabazar and NewMarket in central Kolkata - to record videos and aid thepolice in their efforts to enforce the lockdown order.
"At the moment, three drones are being used for thepurpose. We are keeping a check on crowded areas, mostlymarkets places, where people gather violating the lockdownrules," the senior Kolkata Police officer said.
More such drones will be employed for the purpose overthe next few days, he said.
"People have to understand why gatherings have beenbarred for now. Until then, it will be difficult to fight thisvirus. The metropolis is densely populated and we have to makesure everyone maintains social distancing norms," he noted.
No one will be allowed to step out of homes withoutwearing masks, and strict measures would be taken againstthose flouting the rules, the officer stated.
"Once we receive the footage from the drones, we sendlocal police station officers there to ensure people abide bythe orders. Going by the government's directive, we will notallow anyone to come out of homes without masks," he added.
The state government on Sunday made masks mandatoryfor people visiting public places.
Meanwhile, police here have also started providingon-call taxi services for emergencies.
"This is a taxi service available only foremergencies. Not more than three persons can travel at a time.Also, anybody wanting to avail the taxi service can dial 1073,but he or she will also have to furnish relevant documents,"another police officer said.
So far, West Bengal has reported 122 COVID-19 cases,according to the state health department. Of them, seven havedied and 22 recovered from the disease. SCHRMS RMS