Intruder alert system at three more airports

Airports Authority of India is all set to install periphery intrusion detection system (PIDS) at Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai airports as part of a pilot project.

In India, GMR-run Delhi and Hyderabad airport already have the system. But, it is successfully running only at Hyderabad airport. AAI, after a direction by the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will soon issue expression of interest and have chosen three airports to start with.

The system prevents any kind of intrusion and generates alarm whenever someone tries to sneak in to the airport.

“The specifications have been finalised and a tender will be issued soon. Once we install the system at these three airports, other airports will follow,” said IN Murthy, member (operations) of AAI. PIDS was supposed to be installed at Delhi airport before the Commonwealth Games in 2010, but got delayed for several reasons.

Finally, in 2012 the airport operator handed it over to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who after weeks of trial run, refused to take it over.

Currently the system is working fine and has saved many intrusions also, but watchtowers have not been reduced yet.

Even now, though the number of false alerts have reduced, the Central Industrial Security Force is yet to take over the system.

“We have analysed the system in details. Since, Hyderabad is a Greenfield airport and there is no habitation nearby, the installation and operation was easy. Now we have to install systems at functional airports like the Delhi one. The parameters will be taken into consideration and company selected for the job will have to give a good system,” said another AAI official, requesting anonymity.

The four-layered PIDS, with physical and covert detection systems -- including taut wire, buried cable, CCTV cameras and radars – is installed around the existing perimeter wall of the airport.

BCAS issued the specification in December 2017 and AAI has to purchase the equipment as per the given specification.

THE SYSTEM PREVENTS INTRUSION AND RAISES ALARM WHENEVER SOMEONE TRIES TO SNEAK IN TO AIRPORT