The Aerocity complex at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was supposed to add 12 hotels with 5,400 rooms. This would have taken business away from the existing hotels and put pressure on tariffs. About two-thirds of the Aerocity is in various stages of completion. But it isn't clear when the hotels will open for business because Delhi Police is of the view that they are too close to the runway and the VIP area used by the president and the prime minister. Unless it gives the all-clear signal, the hotels cannot start doing business. As a result, investment of almost Rs 12,000 crore is stuck. The Aerocity was a part of the modernisation plan drawn up by the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd and approved by the civil aviation ministry. Land was allotted to the developers in 2007 and construction began in 2008. From 2011, the Delhi Police started raising objections on security grounds. The home ministry too has expressed concern.
This is yet another example of different arms of the government working at cross purposes. The assessment of the security risk should have been done right at the beginning. It is not clear if the aviation ministry took Delhi Police on board while approving the plan. One argument is that the process was rushed because the Aerocity was supposed to be ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and, in the process, the security concerns were overlooked. If that is true, it shows once again the slipshod approach such deadlines induce. Delhi Police's objections make little sense, given it has ignored other, identical "security hazards". For instance, there is an elevated road not far from the Aerocity that overlooks the runway. If that isn't a security risk, what is?
Some of the suggestions to negate the risk of terrorists using the Aerocity to attack the airport include using bulletproof glass in the windows that open towards the runway, replacing these windows with a concrete wall and knocking off the extra-high floors. All of this is perhaps unnecessary. (At least one suggestion is also ridiculous: bulletproof windows, for instance, are meant to protect people inside and not people outside.) To use the height of the hotels to attack the airport, terrorists need to sneak in weapons. That can be controlled, as it is done elsewhere in the world, with proper security at the entrance for staff as well as guests. Instead of blocking the Aerocity, Delhi Police should instead draw up the security drill these hotels need to follow and ensure that it is rigorously implemented. After all, several airports abroad have hotels and commercial complexes. If they can manage the security risk, so can India.
