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Coming soon, random checks at airports
NEW DELHI: To make your air travel secure from terror threats, the government is planning a major overhaul of security infrastructure at airports across India.
NEW DELHI: To make your air travel secure from terror threats, the government is planning a major overhaul of security infrastructure at airports across India.
As the authorities are already drawing standard operating procedures in this regard, it won’t be long before vehicles entering the airport premises and travellers’ luggage in the terminal are subjected to random inspections. A plan to monitor travellers inside the building is also on the cards.
Besides this, the Centre intends to construct additional lanes to the airport, so security personnel can easily pull out vehicles they intend to check without hindering traffic movement.
A joint team comprising officials from the home ministry, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is conducting a security audit of airports across India.
Ministers of state Kiren Rijiju (home) and Jayant Sinha (civil aviation security) chaired a meeting in this regard on August 5. It was attended by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, IB chief Dineshwar Sharma, secretary (civil aviation) Rajiv Nayan Choubey, BCAS head Kumar Rajesh Chandra and CISF chief Surender Singh. “We are going to upgrade security at all civilian airports,” said Rijiju.
Vehicles approaching the airport from the city, cargo areas and drones flying around the terminals were identified as three major threats. It was decided that while police can be asked to keep an eye on drones, hi-tech scanners would be installed in cargo areas.
