The full-body truck scanner, installed at the Attari integrated check post (ICP) at a cost of ₹23 crore, is unable to detect concealed narcotics and weapons, a review committee found during a trial on Friday.
The committee, comprising officials of the border security force (BSF), customs, intelligence bureau (IB) and the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI), had conducted a trial after a detailed review meeting.
“The trial was conducted in the presence of senior officials of various agencies, who had come from New Delhi, but it failed to produce a successful result. A truck packed with various goods, and concealed narcotics and weapons, was scanned, but the scanner didn’t detect the concealed items,” said a senior customs official.
LPAI’s in-charge Sukhdev Singh said, “Some technical errors were detected during the trial on Friday. Two engineers from New Delhi will now come to fix the glitch.”
The ₹23-crore project was announced in March 2017 by the then Union minister of state for home affairs, Kiren Rijiju. Of the five truck scanners imported from the US, the first one was installed here.
Last year too, the customs officials had expressed dissatisfaction over the working of the scanner. Since the foundation stone of the ICP was laid in 2010, there has been a demand for a scanner as manual checking of vehicles by customs officials and sniffer dogs is not 100% error free, and has sometimes led to clearing of contraband.
{{/usCountry}}Last year too, the customs officials had expressed dissatisfaction over the working of the scanner. Since the foundation stone of the ICP was laid in 2010, there has been a demand for a scanner as manual checking of vehicles by customs officials and sniffer dogs is not 100% error free, and has sometimes led to clearing of contraband.
{{/usCountry}}In July last year, the special cell of Delhi police had seized 50kg heroin from a cold storage located in Haryana’s Sonepat. The consignment had reportedly entered India through Attari ICP in a truck.