Gorakhpur (UP), Aug 24 (PTI) Flying drones over select locations in the city, including the Gorakhnath Temple, without prior permission has been banned by the Gorakhpur administration, officials said on Thursday.

The order, issued recently by Additional District Magistrate Anjani Kumar Singh, will be applicable within the city's police station jurisdictions and any violation will be considered a criminal offence, they said.

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Prior permission from the city magistrate is mandatory for flying drones over and around specific locations, including the Gorakhnath Temple, the fertilizer plant operated by Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd, AIIMS, the railway station, and within the 2-km radius of the Mahayogi Gorakhnath University, including Gorakhnath Arogyadham Balapar Sonbarsa, the order said.

The application for permission must be submitted at least seven days before the planned drone activity, it said.

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The decision comes after a drone was spotted near the Gorakhnath temple on Monday.

Mayank Baranwal from Nathmalpur area flew the drone to record a video of the Gorakhnath Temple without permission. Police confiscated the drone and a case was registered against him under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for violating prohibitory orders in the district in view of festivities in the ongoing month of Sawan.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)