Deconstructing security

Multiple agencies responsible for security at IGI Airport are leaving chinks big enough in all areas undergoing construction and renovation, a fact more visible in the aftermath of the serial blasts.

Multiple agencies responsible for security at IGI Airport are leaving chinks big enough in all areas undergoing construction and renovation, a fact more visible in the aftermath of the serial blasts. And both CISF, responsible for security inside IGI, and Delhi Police. which guards the periphery, are sending feelers about the situation to Delhi International Airport Limited DIAL, the company renovating the airport.

On Monday, the police sent another missive to DIAL, seeking a streamlined security procedure at construction sites.

With no monitoring, no special identity cards for the workers, no data on their numbers, and no police verification, it is not difficult to just amble in through this area. With a worker8217;s safety hat on, it could be a breeze to enter the construction zone.

The international terminal, undergoing minor renovation work outside, and the construction sites of terminal-3 is equally exposed. A new terminal-1D is being constructed here, and the arrival terminal is being expanded. A parking lot and a ramp are also under construction.

An office complex outside departure terminal 1-B is also getting final touches. The construction work is handled by a private firm, BL Kashyap and Sons 8212; HR Builders and Pratibha Constructions are also involved in the work. The construction sites are close to the terminal buildings.

Lalu Yadav, a construction worker at terminal 1-D, flashes a chit of paper with name and address of the construction firm 8212; B L Kashyap and Sons 8212; printed along with a stamp size picture and an illegible stamp on the photograph. That, he has been told, is an identity card. 8220;Ek mahine pehle yeh mila thha we got it a month ago,8221; he said, 8220;and it was checked for the first time yesterday.8221; But many do not even have that I-card.

A police officer on duty at IGI said, 8220;Such minimal I-cards and unattended constructions sites are not a good idea at high-security locations like an airport.8221;