Poor security at Ahmedabad airport; AAI, CISF point fingers at each other

Ahmedabad: Having bought an e-ticket to New Delhi, a person found that at no point except the baggage check-in counters of the respective airlines, which issue the boarding passes, is one’s identity checked at at Ahmedabad airport.Normally, this would not have been of much concern, but the domestic terminal of the airport houses a waiting lounge just after the main entry gate, which is open to anyone buying a Rs 30 ticket.
Attached to it is the entry point manned by CISF personnel, open to bonafide ticket holders only. Both these areas are in the same building with not much segregation in between. One can keep coming out to the waiting lounge and again go into the passengers area even after the boarding passes have been taken, with absolutely no checkpoints. Moreover, the identity is not checked even at the security check-in counters, leaving enough room for any criminal impersonation.
When contacted, some private airline operators said: “Since both the sections, the waiting lounge and the passenger area, are housed in the same building, there are clear chances of impersonation, which can potentially result in a major security lapse. We have been raising this issue with the AAI and CISF, but no concrete steps have been taken so far.”
Both AAI and CISF officials pointed fingers at each other over this issue. B P Bhagat, Director, Ahmedabad airport, said, “The CISF, not AAI, is responsible for the security in the airport. I have nothing to say on this.”
On the other hand, G S Negi, Senior Commandant, CISF, Ahmedabad airport admitted that impersonation is a possibility, but added: “The CISF is governed by the security norms set by the Bureau of Civil Aviation and these are being followed in Ahmedabad in letter and spirit. Impersonation is a possibility, but it is the duty of the AAI to look into that matter.”
17/11/08 Gaurav Sharma/Expressindia.com

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Nov 2008, Safety Nov 2008