An agency that oversees security at India’s top airports has pointed to gaping holes in the security apparatus at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and called for urgent action to fix them. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has submitted a report to the government on the airport, India’s busiest, in the backdrop of the 2nd January attack on the air base in Pathankot, Punjab, by at least six Islamist militants who India said belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit.
The airport is run by a consortium led by GMR Infrastructure Ltd and spread over a vast area of about 5,000 acres. The first key finding of the report starts from the access road to the airport. The dividers meant to stop vehicular traffic on the access road, which act as the first line of defence, have been “out of order” for about three months, according to the report.
The automated licence plate recognition (ALPR) used for years as an access control function does not work. Not only that, the driver image-capture system that keeps a record of every person driving into the airport has also not been working. “There is inordinate delay in maintenance,” the CISF said in its report.
Besides, 22% of the surveillance cameras—656 of the 2,935—installed at Terminal 3, the biggest and main terminal of Delhi airport, are faulty. There are areas in the terminal where children can sneak in, it said.
However, DIAL said there are elaborate CCTV systems in place at the airport and its periphery, which are thoroughly checked jointly by the CISF and airport operators on a daily basis. Faulty cameras, if any, are rectified within 24 hours, it added.
An industry expert said that security issues like these should be tackled immediately.
“At any given point of time, 98% of the cameras should be working at an airport of this size and traffic,” said Robey Lal, a former Airports Authority of India board member.
