The Department of Posts has delivered mail using a drone for the first time as part of a pilot project in Gujarat’s Kutch district, covering a distance of 46 kilometres in 25 minutes, officials said on Sunday.
The mail was delivered by drone from Habay village in Bhuj taluka to Ner village in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district by the postal department.
“With the success of this pilot project, it will now be possible to make postal deliveries by drone in future,” it said.
“Keeping pace with modern technology, the Indian Postal Department has successfully tested for the first time in the country’s postal history a pilot project to deliver mail with the help of drone technology in Kutch district of Gujarat,” the PIB said.
As per the release, it took 25 minutes for the parcel to reach the destination located 46 km from the originating point.
It was a medical parcel, as per the information shared on Twitter by Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan.
According to the release, the pilot project specifically studied the cost of delivery by drones and the geographical location between the two centres, as well as possible coordination among staff during the delivery process, including potential roadblocks.
If the experiment is commercially successful, postal parcel delivery services will be faster, according to the company.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022,” the country’s largest drone festival, on Friday, saying that the use of drones will increase in industries such as agriculture, sports, defence, and disaster management.