Kashmiri students develop Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

SRINAGAR: Inspired by the blockbuster Bollywood movie ' 3 Idiots', three engineering students from Kashmir have developed an UAV, which they claim is the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle made in the Valley.

Brother-duo Shahnawaz Shafi (18) and Shuaib Shafi (21) and their classmate Basit zargar (18), all pursuing mechanical engineering from Kashmir Government Polytechnic College here, demonstrated the UAV today in front of media persons at Press Enclave here.

The trio claimed the UAV can be helpful in many ways like aerial surveillance, aerial photography, for traffic updates and for spot information during disasters.

"Since childhood I wanted to create something which could fly. And when we were assigned a project in our college, me, my brother and my friend took upon ourselves to develop Kashmir's first UAV," Shahnawaz said.

His friend Basit said the movie '3 Idiots' inspired them a lot and proved a motivating factor behind their innovation.

"The UAV can be of immense help for live traffic updates, in the event of forest fires or avalanches, power transmission failures, accidents or surveillance," he said.

The trio said they are working on the project to further enhance its range from the present 20 metre and improve its functionality.