Telangana Police Launch AI-Powered Drone System at Massive Tribal Festival
Police in Telangana have rolled out an advanced artificial intelligence drone policing system called TG-QUEST. They deployed it at the Medaram jatara, which is Asia's largest Adivasi religious gathering. Nearly two crore devotees are anticipated to attend the four-day event starting January 28.
Officials describe this initiative as part of 'Medaram 2.0'. It brings next-generation AI analytics and drone vision to the security arrangements. The technology promises predictive, tech-led bandobast with wider coverage, faster alerts, and fewer blind spots.
Challenges of the Vast Festival Grounds
The Medaram jatara covers over 30 square kilometers. This area includes dense forest terrain, narrow approach roads, the site of the altars, and high-density ritual zones like the Jampanna vagu bathing area. A senior police officer explained the need for TG-QUEST.
"Why Medaram needs TG-QUEST is that it is not only Asia's largest gathering with two crore devotees, but it also has extreme peak density spread over 30 sq km," the officer said. "That forest terrain, approach roads, and limited access create many challenges. We face crowd surge and stampede risks, traffic bottlenecks, missing persons, VIP movement, and the protection of ritual sanctity."
How the AI Drone System Works
TG-QUEST combines aerial intelligence, artificial intelligence, and real-time analytics. It supports proactive policing in Mulugu district through a centralized command-and-control dashboard. This dashboard links directly to police stations and the Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC).
Director-General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy highlighted the system's efficiency. "In traditional policing, we depend more on human resources. TG-QUEST acts as a 'digital beat officer'. It gives commanders live situational awareness and enables quick decision-making from the control room," Reddy stated. Officials noted that one TG-QUEST drone can replace three or four patrol teams.
Comprehensive Crowd and Traffic Management
The police are using multiple technologies to manage the massive crowds. AI-based people-counting cameras operate at the jatara site, entry and exit points, and queues. Drone and helium balloon-mounted pan tilt zoom cameras provide continuous aerial monitoring. These tools help prevent stampedes by triggering threshold-based alerts when crowd density exceeds safe limits.
For traffic and parking, the system includes AI-driven traffic density monitoring across approach roads. It features automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and integration with the Regional Transport Authority (RTA). Smart analytics cover 34 designated parking locations. Drones also make public address announcements for real-time guidance to devotees.
Telangana police are collaborating with Google Maps for smart traffic advisories. They partnered with Vodafone for geotagging and tracking of missing persons.
Crime Prevention and Special Tracking Systems
To prevent crime, police will employ facial recognition technology. This will identify wanted criminals and suspects. The system also conducts surveillance for suspicious activity and detects abandoned objects. Live alerts go directly to police stations and field units.
A new Children Tracking & Monitoring System (CTMS) has been introduced. Police will distribute QR-coded wristband-style smart tags to children and elderly devotees. These tags carry the person's name, guardian contact details, residential address, and control room contact number.
Police, volunteers, or even members of the public can scan the QR code. This enables quick reunification if someone gets lost. Vodafone supports the implementation of this tracking system.
