Chinks remain in Delhi’s airport security

Twice in the space of 18 hours, the security at the heavily guarded Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was breached.

Twice in the space of 18 hours, the security at the heavily guarded Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was breached.

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First, 65-year-old Fazr Mohammed scaled an emergency gate and jumped inside the airport complex on Saturday. Next, 28-year-old Uday Rai Chauhan climbed a tree near the boundary wall and vaulted over it, landing inside on Sunday.

Both men were caught, but the ease with which they entered underscores the fact that while security at the entry points to the airport is very high indeed, the same cannot be said of the rest of the premises.

There have been earlier instances too.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the airport, points out that securing it is not an easy task. It is spread over 5,000 acres, with a 27-km-long boundary wall. The concrete wall is 8.5 feet high, with another 1.5 feet fencing above it. Yet, trespassers seem to cross it with regularity.

“We are probing the Saturday morning incident. Action has been taken against those found at fault. There is heavy vegetation around the area,” said CISF spokesman Rohit Katiyar.

The IGI airport is expected to get the much-delayed Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) by mid-April. The anti-intrusion system will detect unauthorised entry at the airport through a mechanism of taut wires, buried cables and hi-tech CCTV cameras along with radars.