IMED plans to use drones extensively to monitor projects

The government is planning to use drones extensively to inspect and surveil public projects across the country in order to ensure quality and monitor whether contractors are doing their work properly during implementation.

To that end, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the planning ministry has decided that each official will inspect at least one project through drones and submit reports within this fiscal year.

The decision was made at a recent IMED meeting, chaired by IMED Secretary Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin, according to official documents.

IMED officials must also ensure that environmental factors, such as wind and cloud cover, are conducive to flying drones, especially in riverside areas.

In fiscal year 2021-22, the IMED bought three drones, including the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3.

However, due to various reasons, including administrative complexity and a lack of training, officials were unable to fully utilise those drones, according to IMED officials.

Using drones is a sensitive and technical process and requires training to operate, so IMED began training officials in their use.

Initially, after they began training officials in the capital's Agargaon, the IMED's activities faced a setback.

Considering the sensitive surroundings, including important establishments like the old airport, the parliament building and the prime minister's residence, they were directed to go elsewhere, according to IMED sources.

Currently, IMED officials are trained on the outskirts of Dhaka in Munshiganj and Purbachal.

In FY23, they initiated the use of drones on a limited scale. Now, they use drones in around 15 projects across the country.

"We are moving fast to use drones as it helps ensure quality inspection and surveillance," said Mohiuddin.

"Although we could not train all the officials, we have already trained more than half," he added.

Another problem is that flying drones weighing more than 5 kilogrammes requires approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). But the IMED still could not obtain official permission from the CAAB.

"We have already sent a letter to the CAAB seeking permission. It is now under processing," said Mohiuddin.

The IMED secretary said they were focusing on using drones in areas outside of the capital, especially in places that are difficult to access physically.

Seeking anonymity, an IMED official involved in the drone training process said that drones are very effective in monitoring the work being done by contractors.

He added that they had already detected some irregularities in some projects and opined that irregularities could be reduced if drones were used extensively.