So much so that a plan to seal off holes in the city airport’s perimeter wall has triggered a protest by people who use these as “gates” to avoid travelling the extra kilometre.
Worse, the authorities have taken a shortcut as well, agreeing to keep one of the two “gates” open at the cost of airport security.
Work on increasing the height of the wall and sealing off the holes was stalled last week by airport staff and sundry pedestrians who regularly enter the airport complex from Jessore Road through what have come to be known as gates 2 and 2½.
Both these “gates” are little more than holes in the wall, created with the authorities’ sanction many years ago when the airport wasn’t so busy and security was hardly a problem.
“In the beginning, the gates would be used mostly by airport employees getting off buses and autos on Jessore Road. But now it’s a constant stream of pedestrians and cattle. We decided to seal off the openings after our security staff reported that criminals were sneaking in to create trouble on the airport premises,” a senior official said.
Last Thursday, when the decision to close Gate No. 2½ was announced, a section of the airport staff arm-twisted the authorities into stopping construction. Although work resumed over the weekend, officials were forced to review their decision in the face of threats to stall work again on Monday.
An official said that Gate No. 2 would not be sealed off but entry would be restricted. “We will seek a sentry at the gate round-the-clock to prevent intruders from entering the airport,” he added.
A third makeshift gate near the cargo complex was sealed off a few years ago but people still climb the wall and jump to the other side through an opening in the upper half of the brick barrier.
14/03/11 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph
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