Now, migrants working at airport construction sites must have Aadhaar card

The move comes in the wake of multiple red alerts at Indian airports, following terror strikes on airports abroad

Thousands of unidentified migrant labourers at sensitive construction sites in airports are set to reflect on the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s (BCAS) radar soon.

Workers who do not have Aadhaar cards will need to apply for them.(HT File Photo)

On November 29, the BCAS told airport operators to add the Aadhaar card numbers of undocumented workers to checklists for airport access passes.

“To monitor and access the previous records of an individual effectively, it has been decided to make Aadhaar card numbers a mandatory field in the application for aerodrome entry permits,” read the order, of which HT has a copy.

It also alerted airport operators — including the government-owned Airports Authority of India and private consortiums at Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kochi — that workers who do not have Aadhaar cards will need to apply for them. Those without Aadhaar cards will not be permitted entry.

The move comes in the wake of multiple red alerts at Indian airports, following terror strikes on airports abroad.

“There have been talks of the terror strikes — such as the one at the Istanbul airport in June — being an inside job. The move will ensure that the airport has detailed records of every face on the airfield,” said a retired BCAS officer requesting anonymity.

Scores of migrant workers have access to airport construction sites. The Mumbai airport for instance, is relaying both airstrips.

Airfields are also host to temporary staffers such as loaders and staff from flight kitchens and oil dumps.

Those supplying labourers to airports must produce a verification certificate from the local police for every worker sourced from across the country for short-term jobs. However, most of these workers do stay on the job for long. As a result, the security establishment has sparse records of them.

Read

As it happened: Suicide bombings at Istanbul airport, Modi condemns attacks