ISRO ready to provide satellite images of Sabarimala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 (PTI) India''s premier spaceagency ISRO has offered to provide to the Kerala governmentsatellite pictures of Sabarimala area for taking measures toprevent disasters like the stampede that claimed 102 liveslast week.

Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) Dr K Radhakrishnan said three dimensional images wouldhelp the government and Temple Board (Travancore Devaswom)improve infrastructure in Sabarimala area and help avoid suchmishaps in future.

"To avert such disasters in future, we are ready toprovide three dimensional pictures to the state government.

They could provide a clear view of each and every landscape,"Radhakrishnan told reporters on the sidelines of aninternational conference on ''Contemporary Trends in Optics andOptoelectronics'' here.

With the support of Union government, ISRO had alreadyprepared a databank of peripheral pictures of around 200districts in the country. The agency would soon expand theprogramme across the country, the ISRO Chairman said.

Dr T K Alex, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)said the satellite pictures by the Indian space agency hasdemands even among developed countries.

"Even developed countries use pictures produced byISRO. In cases like Sabarimala, we are ready to providepictures of the terrain to government. With the help of that,they can build roads, renovate buildings and can make otherarrangements," he said.