Aviation security body sits on funds

New Delhi: Despite increased terror threat to aviation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the country’s apex agency responsible for security in the air, has failed to utilise the funds meant for upgrading security infrastructure and equipment.
It is estimated to have spent only Rs 55 lakh and Rs 14 crore in 2008-09 and 2009-10 , respectively, a mid-year review by the civil aviation ministry has found.
The government had provided Rs 218.25 crore to the BCAS for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, following increased security threats to aviation installations and airlines.
The slow progress in putting up appropriate technology and equipment has been largely due to delay in freezing major schemes.
An aviation ministry official, who did not wish to be identified, said the ministry has been asking BCAS to expedite works, such as modernisation of security equipment, but the agency has not paid much attention to the instructions.
Last week, the government had received intelligence input revealing Pakistan-based terrorist organisations’ hijack attempt. Following the warning, the aviation ministry had alerted all the airports in the country and also instructed ladder-point scanning of passengers and deployment of skymarshals (commandos in civil dress flying with passengers) onboard .
27/01/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: Safety Jan 2010