Hi-tech safety plan for all airports

NEW DELHI: The Centre has finalised a standard security infrastructure plan for airports. All 51 airports will be soon equipped with CCTV cameras, biometric access for staff, watch towers and a raised perimeter wall with sensors.

A checklist on security measures for all airports was finalised at a meeting by top-level officials here on Wednesday. Delhi and Mumbai airports have more or less implemented the measures. Others like Hyderabad need to do it. The meeting outlined the timeframe within which each airport should have the security infrastructure in place.

Airports would need to have watch towers separated by a km each and dog squads and bomb disposal squads too.
According to sources, the home ministry outlined standard operating procedures for handling of baggage and other equipment.

Recalling an incident where a firecracker, initially suspected to be a crude bomb, was found on a Kingfisher flight at Thiruvananthapuram airport recently a senior home ministry official said: “Someone should have been responsible for handling the box of crackers that have been used to frighten away birds at airports.”

An inquiry later found that the firecracker found in the cargo compartment of the flight was from the lot lying at the airport for scaring away birds.

“We discovered that this box of crackers is in place at every airports as per a practice that dates back almost 20-30 years and that there was no particular person responsible for handling it,” the official said.

The meeting was chaired by home secretary G K Pillai and attended by civil aviation secretary, CISF director-general and officials from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Airports Authority of India.