Screening system at airport foolproof, claim officials

A high court bench had on Friday directed the Centre to install thermal scanners at Pune and Nagpur airports.

A high court bench had on Friday directed the Centre to install thermal scanners at Pune and Nagpur airports. (Source: Reuters)

While the Bombay High Court has directed the Central government to “immediately” install thermal scanners to detect Ebola virus at Pune Airport, the airport authorities said the existing screening system at the airport is “foolproof” and that each passenger deboarding an international flight is scanned thoroughly.

A high court bench had on Friday directed the Centre to install thermal scanners at Pune and Nagpur airports. The bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice G S Kulkarni had expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s response that the Airport Authority of India had a shortage of thermal scanners.

Officials at the Lohegaon Airport said that as per the earlier directives issued by the high court, the state government was asked to provide medical screening facilities at Pune on the lines of Mumbai and Delhi. “At present, the system in place at Pune Airport does 100 per cent screening of passengers deboarding international flights. We have proper quarantine in place and there is a dedicated team of doctors that examines every passenger before they approach the immigration desk. No passengers is entertained at the immigration desk, if he does not have a go ahead from the doctor,” said an official, who did not wish to be named.

Officials said despite the existing system at the airport, the Centre is likely to arrange a thermal scanner, which could take some time.
A new scanner could be purchased or a non-functional scanner could be repaired for installation at the airport. The ministry needs to take a call, they added.

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