BCAS asks airports to enhance security

New Delhi: Heightened security measures are being put in place at all Indian airports with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security asking operators to urgently install CCTVs and take other measures to secure the entire airport area, right from the entry point.

A fresh directive has been issued by BCAS, which is responsible for aviation security, following growing threat perceptions weeks after the December terror attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, sources said.

The latest aviation security order instructs airport authorities to keep a tab on all movements, including the parking lots and the airside. Restrictions on visitors inside terminals or carrying of baggage in the arrival and departure areas by non-passengers have also been put in place, the sources said.

The number of CISF personnel at entry and exit points as well as parking lots was being enhanced, besides installation of CCTV cameras in parking areas, they said. The move comes ahead of a crucial conference here from Monday which is to be attended by security experts from various countries who would discuss the emerging threats to the sector and review aviation security activities.

The four-day Regional Aviation Security Conference, being held under the aegis of UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation, would evolve an aviation security roadmap which can be used by countries to proactively and

jointly counter and prevent acts of unlawful interference against international civil aviation.

The sources said non-metallic explosive devices were now the foremost threat to passenger airlines and it was imperative that detection capabilities are enhanced.

However, they pointed out that when new technologies to detect and capture those who intend to carry out terror attacks are being implemented, it was absolutely imperative that all steps are taken to protect the privacy rights of the air travellers.

In this context, they said, the US government was bringing a law to forbid the posting of an airline passenger's full-body body scanner image on the Internet.

The proposed legislation, introduced last week in the US Congress, would criminalise any such posting and impose on violators fines of up to USD 1,00,000 and jail terms of up to one year, official source here said quoting reports.

Similar laws would be needed in India whenever such Advanced Imaging Technology is put in place at airports here, they said.