Friday, August 12, 2011

Security’s lax at city airport. Bengaluru International Airport, India.

Aug. 12: While Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) claims to have upped its security ahead of Independence Day,things were so lax at the airport on Friday that none of the vehicles were stopped at the trumpet intersection and most cars and taxis were allowed to drive through the few metal barricades that were around without their boots being checked. Only cars which had heavy tinted glasses were stopped by the CISF personnel.

The BIA had announced on Monday that there would be increased security checks in the run- up to Independence Day by the police and the CISF at the airport and at the entrances to the trumpet interchange. But they were certainly not in evidence for most of Friday. “Cars are usually checked carefully every year in the run-up to Independence Day and Republic Day , but this year there has been no strict checking at the entry points to the airport. While in the past the police and CISF men would take at least two minutes to check each car, on Friday there was no traffic hold-up even during the peak hours.

However checks inside the terminal building have been increased as the security agencies don't want to take any chances,” said airport sources. A CISF official claimed that since heavy security checks were being done inside the terminal building, cars were not being combed thoroughly. " But there will be physical checking of cars on August 14, 15 and 16. We stopped a number of taxis and private cars to take a look at their occupants and luggage even on Friday,” he claimed

This was not borne out by passenger experience, as most were not delayed as expected and instead ended up early at the airport having deliberately left home much before time in anticipation of the additional security checks. “The security checks were no more than on any other day. We left home early thinking we would be delayed by them , and so reached the airport much too early,” said a passenger waiting to take a flight to Delhi.

No comments:

Post a Comment