Only 6 airports ready to detect, defuse bombs

CISF AUDIT Bengaluru among 53 vulnerable Indian airports

NEW DELHI: Only six of the 59 airports guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are equipped to defuse and dispose of explosives, an audit by the paramilitary agency has found, raising concerns about aviation security and passenger safety.

Bomb detection and disposal squads are operational at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Cochin and Hyderabad, found the audit, conducted in January and February. Of these, only the Kolkata and Chennai airports are run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI); the remaining are private airports.

Airports require 28 pieces of equipment including explosive vapour detectors, bomb disposal suits, and remote-operated vehicles for making explosive detection and disposal squads operational, according to rules specified by the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). All required pieces of equipment are available only at the six airports named above.

“Even if one equipment is not

available, the squad cannot be made functional. We have written to the AAI, BCAS and civil aviation ministry, asking them to provide this crucial equipment at the earliest,” said a CISF officer, requesting anonymity.

CISF, which was created in

1969, provides security to airports, seaports, power plants and sensitive government buildings, among others.

The 59 airports it guards are among India’s 98 operational airports.