By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Charminar, on Thursday, witnessed another inspection. Testing and inspections have been going on at the four-century-old monument ever since a chunk of the minaret fell off last month during heavy rains. To avoid similar incidents in the future, Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to invest in creating a digital blueprint of the monument for preservation purposes. This would be done by an unmanned aerial system. Using technology such as thermal scanning, LiDAR 3D profiling and air gap measurement, a Hyderabad-based drone start-up will be creating the digital blueprint of Charminar. Inspections underway at Charminar in Hyderabad. (Photo | EPS) Speaking to Express, Milan Kumar Chauley, Superintendent of ASI-Hyderabad, said, “We should be receiving the results in 10 days. For the time being, the company has been given the task to test and inspect only the damaged minaret. If we are satisfied with how the report turns out, we might ask them to carry out a complete inspection of Charminar.” Explaining how the report may help ASI, Chauley said, “These tests, if finalised, have to be conducted twice a year; preferably before and after the monsoon season. The analysis can then be compared to check if any form of internal damage has taken place that requires immediate preservation. Such analysis may help provide us with warnings so another incident is not repeated. However, the final decision has to be taken by the ASI headquarters in New Delhi “ Marcia Chen, Terra Drone India, said, “With such a valuable construction, there is always a fear of losing the monument to unforeseen damage. Not only does this testing provide us scope for analysis and prevention, but digital preservation of any monument or building also offers people a chance to see and feel what the heritage structure had to offer, in case it is demolished, ceases to exist or is blocked from having visitors to preserve the structure. A digital walk-through of the monument goes a long way.”

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