Contractor at the air cargo complex was arrested along with his aides, for smuggling
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Chennai: The recent arrest of a contractor, no less than the chief of security at the air cargo complex, along with his aides, for smuggling, has led to calls for increased surveillance to guard against pilferage in the cargo section of Chennai airport.An airport official acknowledged the incident, wherein an insider with access to all areas could easily indulge in wrongdoing, has made them sit up and take notice. He said they were long bothered about monitoring the export section, a possible gateway for explosive items on flights, but now have turned attention to the import section to stop pilfering.
Incidentally, in a list of recommendations sent to the airport management last December, the Central Industrial Security Force, the agency in-charge of overall security, pointed out the present surveillance mechanism at the cargo section warranted immediate attention. Of specific importance was the need to improve general surveillance and intelligence network for identifying suspects.
Speaking to DC, airport director Deepak Shastri said they have taken on board some of the recommendations. “In the aftermath of the latest incident, we have introduced a new measure wherein access to key areas like cold storage, located in a secluded part of the cargo complex, would be controlled by two officials drawn from different agencies, compared to the earlier situation that enabled unrestricted access for a single person,” he said.
The airport management was asked to ensure a single point access system. “We asked them to regularise the entry/exit mechanism by shutting down other gates. This would help in better control of movement,” a CISF official said. The airport director noted they have since implemented the single entry/exit system.However, the issue of upgrading the present gadgetry available for officials, highlighted by CISF as imperative, is slow off the block. “We had recommended there be more CCTV cameras installed in all areas for a 24X7 monitoring and also new scanning machines be procured. But there seems to be a delay due to possible administrative reasons,” said the CISF official.
According to AAI stats, Chennai handled about 2.7 lakh tonnes in cargo during the period of April 2014-February 2015, registering a 4.2 per cent growth over the previous year.
While garments, leather and electronics constitute the major export commodities, some of imported items are machineries, automobile components and telecommunication equipment.
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