Coal India delays Drone deployment due to COVID-19 pandemic

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), the research and technical arm of the miner, is one of the organisations in the country to introduce drones for conducting coalfield surveys. The company has planned to deploy drones at Coal India mines for specialised survey applications such as generation of high-resolution images, 3D terrain mapping and volumetric measurement of excavation, the official said.

Deployment of high-end drones at Coalfields by CMPDI, a subsidiary of Coal India, is getting delayed due to COVID-induced lockdowns and other restrictions in several states, even though the company has secured approval for using the equipment from the Centre, an official said. Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), the research and technical arm of the miner, is one of the organisations in the country to introduce drones for conducting coalfield surveys. The company has planned to deploy drones at Coal India mines for specialised survey applications such as generation of high-resolution images, 3D terrain mapping and volumetric measurement of excavation, the official said.