Security has been breached fifteen times at the domestic airports since 2012 and the incidents reported to nodal airport security agency Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Parliament was informed today.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma while apprising the Lok Sabha with statistics on security lapse also said that the post of BCAS chief has been lying vacant since November 2012.
Of the 15 security lapses, a maximum of 10 cases were reported in 2012 itself from various domestic airports including a maximum of five from Mumbai airport.
The other airports which reported cases of security lapses are Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Amritsar and Hyderabad.
In 2013, there was only case of security lapses reported from various airports, whereas in 2014 the total number of such cases stood at three, Sharma said.
This year till June, only one such case has been reported, he added.
The Minister said that the BCAS investigated into such lapses on need basis and has brought them into the notice of the agencies concerned for taking appropriate/corrective action.
Besides, BCAS has also issued necessary guidelines/ instructions from time to time to avoid such lapses.
Some of the steps taken to strengthen arrangements include time-bound deployment of CISF personnel at airports, deployment of Quick Reaction Teams at major airports and regular monitoring of security arrangements by inspection and dummy checks, Sharma said.
He said that airport operators provide funds for upgradation of technology of airports including security measures on requirement basis.
In reply to another question on the nodal airports security agency, the Minister said the post of BCAS chief is lying vacant since November 2012 following the retirement of the then incumbent.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested to provide a panel of the eligible officers for the post of Commissioner of security (Civil Aviation) in BCAS.
