Drone seen near Uddhav's Mumbai home; MMRDA says it was used for POD taxi project survey

Mumbai, Nov 9 (PTI) A drone was spotted near former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence in Mumbai on Sunday, prompting the Shiv Sena (UBT) to allege possible "surveillance" in a high security zone under a "police-state action".

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), however, clarified that the UAV was used for a POD taxi project survey with police's permission.

In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab demanded investigation by the police to identify the drone operator and the motive behind the aerial "filming". He also wondered if there was any "terrorist background" behind it.

"A drone was spotted hovering over 'Matoshree'. This raises serious concerns about a potential security breach in a high-security zone," the legislator claimed.

'Matoshree', located in Mumbai's Bandra area, is a heavily guarded residence of the Thackerays.

Parab said that flying a drone or filming with it in such a sensitive, high-security area without prior permission is a grave matter.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 8) Manish Kalwaniya, however, said the drone was part of a survey being conducted with the permission of the MMRDA in the nearby Bandra-Kurla Complex area.

"Please avoid misinformation," the DCP added to quell the speculation surrounding the sighting.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged the drone was peeping into our window, which shows the country was turning into a "surveillance state".

In a post on X, he claimed the drone was seen hovering at window level until they began recording it, after which it flew away erratically.

"The drone surveillance of our house today is a shameful incident, yet doesn't shock us, with the kind of surveillance state that we live in," the Sena (UBT) leader said.

He further questioned why the residents were not informed that the drone was part of a survey of the BKC with police permission.

The MMRDA, meanwhile, said the drone was used for a POD taxi project survey with prior permission of the police.

The drone exercise was conducted to aid a visual study of the approved alignment for the Personal Rapid Transit (POD) taxi project along Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), it said.

The authority had secured all necessary approvals from the police department on behalf of the concessionaire, and the survey, carried out over the past two days, was monitored by police personnel and officials concerned, it said.

Aaditya, however, sought to draw a comparison with the Election Commission's restrictions on releasing footage from voting booths to protect voter privacy.

"The drone operator was peeping into our window, and later the MMRDA says it was for the whole of BKC (Bandra-Kurla Complex). No other government agency globally would be able to justify such police-state actions under the name of 'survey," he added.

MMRDA maintained that all necessary permissions were obtained on behalf of the concessionaire from the Police Department, and every instruction issued by them was strictly adhered to.

The certified drone operator, whose background verification has already been submitted, adhered to all instructions issued by the authorities. The operation remained fully restricted to the permitted route without any deviation, the agency stated.

"The operation remained fully compliant and restricted to the approved alignment, with no breach or deviation at any stage," the MMRDA added. PTI MR ZA GK BNM ARU NSK