The Kadapa district police have stepped up surveillance at the famed Gandikota tourist spot in the Jammalamadugu constituency, with the twin objectives of tackling crime and ensuring the safety of visitors.

Gandikota is often called the Indian equivalent of the Grand Canyon, where the Penna cleaves through a huge wall-like hill. The spot also houses an ancient fort and a 16th century temple, which are thronged by history, art and archaeology enthusiasts. The gorge is a favourite haunt of adventure lovers, especially the young.

Youth on motorcycles arrive here for the weekend even from the neighbouring States of Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.

The police have started flying drone cameras to identify and catch anti-social elements moving in the vicinity of the gorge. The police have taken serious note of the frequent movement of unruly groups that drink in public and cause inconvenience to tourists, especially families.

“As it is quite difficult for the cops to physically roam around the vast stretches of rocky terrain, we have taken to drone surveillance to ensure quick identification of culprits with surgical precision,” Kadapa Superintendent of Police Nachiket Vishwanath Shelke told The Hindu.

The trend of college students from the nearby Proddatur, Mydukur, Jammalamadugu and Allagadda towns skipping classes and visiting this tourist spot has also picked up, causing considerable worry to the law enforcers.

Last year, a college student was found dead at Gandikota, and the case remains unsolved.

Though there are a number of CCTV cameras along the road leading to Gandikota, which provide data on the inward and outward movement of vehicles, the department remained clueless on the movement of visitors inside the zone, which is mostly unmanned.

It was perhaps to fill this gap that drone surveillance has been taken up in this remote location abutting the gorge.