No frisking, no squirming before boarding plane

If frisking before boarding a plane has you squirming, relax. Because the Civil Aviation Ministry is introducing a change in the security dr...

If frisking before boarding a plane has you squirming, relax. Because the Civil Aviation Ministry is introducing a change in the security drill: no more physical frisking, only touch-free screening of passengers, courtesy state-of-the-art gadgetry at airports across the country.

Irked by the sight of khaki-clad men and women shepherding passengers into booths and hoisting them on elevated platforms before the physical frisking, Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy has backed the initiative to introduce a customer-friendly security procedure.

While airports have been advised to first acquire the latest metal frame detectors before completely doing away with physical frisking, the June 11 order asks all airport directors to remove booths and platforms set up for checking passengers.

Civil Aviation Ministry sources said Rudy conveyed his displeasure over passengers being treated like convicts during security checks. To do away with this passenger ordeal, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security was tasked to prepare a procedure which would restrict physical screening to only those arousing suspicion.

The June 11 order changes the drill: after placing personal belongings into a small basket, a passenger will be asked to move through the metal frame detector and, if the detector does not raise an alarm, he will be allowed to pass without any frisking.

In case the alarm goes off, the drill will be repeated and if the detector still has doubts, the passenger will be isolated for a physical check. Only a single booth will be set up to check 8216;8216;doubtful cases.8217;8217;

The order also stresses the need for personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force to be more courteous with passengers. While a training course is already being carried out for CISF personnel by the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism, sources said that senior CISF officials too have been roped in for special training.

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This apart, the Ministry has asked airports to obtain movable screens to ensure privacy just in case they need to check a woman passenger in the high security zone.

Given the sensitivity involved in easing security procedures, airports seem to be implementing the order rather cautiously. For instance, at Delhi8217;s IGI Airport, the new measures are being implemented first in the domestic terminal to do away with any loophole. Recounting the Kandahar hijack and 9/11, a Civil Aviation official said the issue of easing security procedures has to be dealt with 8216;8216;extreme caution.8217;8217;