City bunkered

City bunkered

Gayatri Nair
Posted On Friday, December 05, 2008

A commando keeps vigil near Bengaluru International Airport following terror threat.
If you have to board a flight, ensure that you are at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) two hours before the departure time mentioned on your ticket. If you are planning to participate in a rally or protest in public, forget it for the time being. If you are thinking of celebrating New Year on a grandscale, just spike it. Reason: The state government has issued a high alert in the backdrop of the terror threat and has said a ‘NO’ to all major events and functions in Bangalore.

With the intelligence agencies hinting at another possible terror attack in the country, the police are on a security overdrive in the city by stepping up surveillance. The threat perception, this time, is so high that the government also decided to cancel the sixth edition of Bengaluru Habba, the city’s mega-cultural event and has directed the police to ensure that there are no large rallies or functions till Jan 15.

“After the recent Mumbai attack, we have got intelligence inputs on a terror strike at BIA. So we are not taking any chances,” said Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday after the cabinet meeting which discussed preparations related to counter-terrorism issues.

BIA BECOMES A FORTRESS
BIA has now turned into a fortress. The walkway and the entire premises outside Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) is being manned by AK 47-armed commandos. “Apart from commandos, we have police personnel in mufti guarding both the city side (front of terminal building) as well as air side (where take off and landings take place),” explain BIAL officials.

There has been massive deployment of armed men from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Karnataka State Reserve Police and City Armed Reserve around the airport too. Armed men have erected bunkers at the entrance of the airport and are guarding the premises. All this has been done in view of an IB report indicating an aerial attack at Bangalore, New Delhi and Chennai.

With security so tight, passengers at BIA have to check in at least a couple of hours before departure. If it is an international flight, then it’s three hours before departure. “Ideally having a two-hour deadline would be perfect, as we have taken stringent security measures. Earlier, passengers were frisked only once they were inside the terminal building, but now we are employing the method of random frisking of passengers,” said BIA officials.

BIA has sounded a red alert since Wednesday and is following anti-hijacking security measures where all baggage that will go into the aircraft will be checked at three levels. “The baggage entering the airport will be first screened by the baggage X-ray, then it will be checked manually by the concerned officials and then there will be another security check.

This is the final step, which means that the concerned airline will check the baggage yet again before the person enters the aircraft,” sources added. Till now, only identity cards and tickets were checked at the main entry. A person was free to walk in with baggage all the way to the airline counters to collect boarding pass. If it was a hand baggage, then the passenger was free to carry it till the first floor where it was checked.

Meanwhile, all cars coming to the airport will be thoroughly checked. “Vehicles, especially the boot and the underbelly of the car, are being subjected to through frisking,” sources said. On top of that, the entire car parking area is under CCTV surveillance. The airport authorities are also being helped by the state police in ensuring foolproof security. “We also have a platoon of Karnataka State Reserve Police, who are helping us out. Earlier we had CISF personnel guarding inside the terminal building but now they have been deployed all around the airport premises,” sources added.

‘GOOD MOVE’
“Yes, till now I have not really got any notification as such but usually passengers end up leaving home hours in advance to catch a flight and if this aids in their safety than so be it,” said Air India’s Sr Manager (Corporate Communications) V Chandrashekar. Jet Airways General Manager (Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) Harish Shenoy said, “A lot of security precautions have been taken at the airport and going through the security protocol will take some time, that is why the passengers have been asked to be in well in advance. As long as it helps in the safety of our passengers we are absolutely fine with it.”

For the next few days, if you have to board domestic flights you will have to leave at least two hours early and for international flights, keep at least three hours in hand. So if you have to catch a five pm flight to Hyderabad and you are staying at Electronic city, then you will have to leave your home at at one, if not before that.