East Coast Railway starts drone based surveillance, has taken the lead among all other divisions of Indian Railways in this. Currently, it has 11 drones deployed in its three zones, with plans to increase this number to 22 by March 2027. This initiative further strengthens railway security, passenger safety, crowd management and security of railway assets.
The system, named “DROAWK EYE – Observation, Detection, Prevention”, helps the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to monitor sensitive areas, detect suspicious activities and prevent crime. Out of these 11 drones, 4 are deployed in Khordha Road division, 6 in Sambalpur division and 1 in Rayagada division. It is being operated by 160 DGCA certified drone pilots. The network covers 284 stations, 2,708 route km and 6,072 track km under 31 Railway Protection Force posts.
A total of 3,033 drone sorties were conducted by the Railway Protection Force of East Coast Railway between 1 January and 15 September 2026. Out of these, 680 sorties were conducted in Khordha Road division, 1,024 in Rayagada division and 1,329 in Sambalpur division. Out of these, 1,265 red coded sorties were focused on important safety activities. These included anti-vandalism and stone-pelting, cable theft detection and fire safety monitoring.
Equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, these drones are proving to be very useful in forests, hilly areas, tunnels, bridges and deserted railway tracks—especially on the Koraput-Rayagada-Kirandul line. These are used to monitor railway stations, coaching yards and important establishments, detect illegal intrusions, theft and encroachment, and assist in investigation and disaster management.”
Drone surveillance system played a vital role in crowd management during Rath Yatra 2026 in Puri. It also helps in ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative for safety of women passengers, cleanliness drive, environmental protection and surveillance of sensitive railway assets. It helps in preventing incidents like unauthorized crossing of railway tracks and stone-pelting through live surveillance and audio alerts.
A drone team can effectively monitor about 8 to 10 km of railway track. This enables security surveillance over a large area and enables more efficient deployment of security personnel. By increasing the number of drones to 22 by March 2027, the East Coast Railways is further strengthening its technology-based surveillance system and ensuring railway safety and passenger safety. The goal is to increase security.
