So much potential
Banning recreational drones is tantamount to forcing people away from experiencing the wonderful advancements of technology. However, hobbyists engaged in flying drones must be made to comply with certain safety regulations – especially in areas where there is air traffic, in the vicinity of airports and close to highways within the city. The restrictions should also apply to the surroundings of high-rise buildings and militarily sensitive locations.
A blanket ban on using drone by civilians would stifle creative passions, as drones are likely to be increasingly used for aerial photography, film-shooting and recreational sports.
Drone technology is likely to revolutionise many activities in the future. An information technology (IT) company in Kerala, India, is developing drones fitted with blades that would fly to the height of coconut trees and pluck coconuts. During the last technology exhibition in Dubai, the same company demonstrated how drone technology can be used for harvesting dates from date palms. The best option would be to issue licenses to drone hobbyists to pursue it.
From Mr V. I. Mohammad Sageer
UAE
Government use
Technology is encompassing all boundaries of its march. Its pros and cons are for us to enjoy. Having said that, commercialising drones cannot be viewed as a good thing because the security and privacy of the people around the world will be jeopardised. In my opinion, it should not be allowed for recreational and commercial purposes, and it should be restricted at the government level with strict licensing regulations.
From Mr Raj Nair
UAE
Positives and negatives
Drones have been used for military purposes however; recently companies are using them to supply goods to people. Such is the case on Amazon.com where unmanned drones are being used to deliver books and other products at customer’s doorsteps. Television channels are also using drone-like flying objects fitted with cameras to capture aerial images and videos of areas or objects where humans cannot reach easily. Where there are positive points for these drones in creating efficiency in reporting or in the business process, these drones can be a threat when they are flying near military areas and airports.
Military areas want the utmost confidentiality and if a drone enters their fly zone, the concerned authorities can shoot down these flying objects. Recently, a Dubai airport was forced to shut down after a drone entered the airport’s airspace. Companies or personnel flying these drones should get authorisation from law enforcement of the city they are operating in and must receive guidelines regarding the time of day they must operate in and the geographical area they must fly their drones. Maintaining a proper check will enable companies to monitor the people and companies who are operating these drones because with the drone technology coming into civilian hands, terrorists can use these drones for their vested interests and that can spell disaster.
From Mr Mohammad Omar Iftikhar
Karachi, Pakistan
Ban them
Recreational drones should be banned from prohibited areas like government buildings and other major work stations. There are chances that these drones would contain spy cameras or video recorders, which would be dangerous for the government and the country. Only licensed drones should be allowed to fly and that too in the convenient flying zone where there are no chances of spying on anybody’s privacy.
From Mr Lodhi Azmatullah Khan
Dubai
Designated areas
Just give them a designated recreational area far away from airports or office buildings or residences.
From Ms Lorraine D’Costa
UAE
Security threat
It should be banned all over the country because it could be used for acts of terror. This has happened in Pakistan where there were some explosive materials attached to a drone and it flew inside a villa through windows.
From Mr Ihsan Waziri
Abu Dhabi
The latest toy
The drone is one of the wonder-toys introduced to the market recently. Some of the high quality and powerful drones with camera can reach up to 300 metres in height with a remote control. It is a fantastic toy for recreational use for young and old. It gives a lot of thrill.
Some of the companies are trying to use drones for parcel and food delivery, and I think this should be banned because it may lead to a breach in privacy.
However, drones should be allowed as a recreational toy, but outside the limits of airport zones, beaches and residential areas. The best area to use drones will be in public parks and desert areas.
From Mr S. K. Mehta
UAE
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