Terror 'parks' at Sahar

Mumbai: Two months ago, the Sahar police declared the lane outside the IndianOil depot on Sahar Road a no-parking zone. But Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) recently made it a pay-and-park area. And this has raised security concerns.
Anyone can park a vehicle on the road that houses the IndianOil station by paying Rs60 for four hours. Tourist vehicles and cars from other states are often parked on this road.
"MIAL started the pay-and-park facility almost 15 days ago. There is no one to check the vehicles," an airport official said. Even DNA had a first-hand experience by parking a scooter from 1pm to 4 pm for Rs60. No one questioned anything. The sensitive area has 10 major oil tanks with each housing almost 60,000 lakh litres of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
"We even wrote to MIAL asking them not to make it a parking area. We made them put up no-parking boards as well," an officer from the Sahar police station said.
"Anybody can keep a bomb inside a vehicle that is parked here. It is a threat not only to the oil installations but to the entire Sahar and Vile Parle area. And there is no one to check the vehicles that are being parked here."
Dilip Patil, senior police inspector, said they had asked MIAL to make it a no-parking area. He promised to take up the matter with MIAL after he was told of the pay and park facility there.
21/01/09 Navita Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Airports Jan 2009, Safety Jan 2009