Tech city fortifies against terror

Tech city fortifies against terror
DNA
State-of-the-art security gadgets worth Rs6 crore will be installed in Bangalore by year-end

BANGALORE: Security has become the buzzword in the IT hub of Bangalore after the recent arrest of suspected terrorists revealed that the tech city figures on the terror hit list.

The road leading to Hewlett-Packard in Bangalore will have a barricade with radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors and all vehicles belonging to employees of the 117 IT firms affiliated to electronic city industries association (ELCIA) will sport RFID stickers for identification.

Over 18 CCTV cameras will monitor the traffic and people entering and leaving the electronic city. Hi-tech security gadgets, including hand-held metal detectors, vehicle inspection system with bollards, bomb detection and disposal equipment, will be installed.

Similarly, certain entry points such as the approach road to HP and Timken will be barricaded and manned by security personnel to prevent entry of people from nearby settlements in Konnappana Agrahara. The rear-side road of Wipro Health Care will be sealed.

The electronic city will become the first tech hub in the country to have state-of-the-art security gadgets worth Rs6 crore. “A vulnerability analysis study was conducted to assess the threats that the tech hub face. The recommended security measures have been approved. We are now going through financial feasibility checks,” said joint director of ELCIA Bevin Thomas.

A vulnerability analysis that was conducted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in early 2006 found that the electronic city faced threats from terrorists as it houses multi-national companies from the US and the UK. Besides, rowdies from surrounding villages gain easy access to the tech hub through its unmanned entry points. “The installation of security gadgets will be completed in a year,” Thomas said. The employees will also be trained to address emergency situations such as fire and bomb threats, he added.