Gaping holes in wall threaten airport

Mumbai: While talks of fortressing the airports have become louder in the wake of terror threats in Indian skies, the state of the perimeter wall at Mumbai airport raises grave concerns.
Apart from being perilously close to the slums surrounding the airport, the wall is full of holes and cracks. To add to it, a portion of the wall, which had caved in during monsoons, is still to be repaired. From Air India Road in Kalina, one can easily spot a huge gap in the wall, which has been temporarily covered with tin plates. "This patch has been lying in this state for the past five months now,'' said a security personnel.
"On one hand, we are sounding a red alert, but on the other, the very wall surrounding the airport is broken,'' he added.
Moreover, the space-starved airport has also added an aircraft parking bay towards the Kalina side of the airport, with planes lined up only a stone's throw away from the busy road.
According to a spokesperson of the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), "Most part of the perimeter wall damaged during the monsoon has been repaired. We have also put barbed wires on the wall.'' While the officials maintain that patrolling around the airport perimeter has beenincreased, the threat of intrusion still looms large.
The perimeter, which is 18 kilometres, is manned by only a handful of security personnel, it is no wonder that the instances of intrusions have been fairly high. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) reported 21 intrusions last year. This year, the Santa Cruz airport police station alone recorded six cases of trespassing. CISF has reported many more.
06/12/08 6 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Dec 2008, Safety Dec 2008