Police, civic bodies in Palghar get robotic boats for rescue ops

Palghar: The District Disaster Management Authority has provided 10 robotic boats to police and civic bodies for deployment at key locations in Maharashtra's Palghar, making use of technology to save people, an official said on Thursday.

These boats, costing Rs 1.66 crore, will be a boon to save people from drowning, district disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said.

"To save one person (from drowning), we deploy another person in the water. But now instead of another person, this robotic boat will be used to save lives," he said.

A week-long training programme was recently held and a practical demonstration was conducted during high tide at the Kelve beach here, following which the boats were provided to six marine police stations, three municipal councils and one nagar panchayat in the district, he added.