New Delhi: Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday said that "the aviation industry in the country has been growing at a tremendous speed, but this comes. along with the security threats and challenges." Addressing a gathering comprising high-ranking security officials, including the Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka, CISF chief IPS Nina Singh and others, on the occasion of the 38th Raising Day of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Services (BCAS) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Home Secretary highlighted that the aviation industry has been seeing rapid growth and it will set a record in 2024, but it comes, along with several security challenges.
"The geography of India and our neighbours pose security challenges from new technologies such as Artificial intelligence (AI), Global Positioning System (GPS) jamming, drones and cyber threats, but I believe that the intelligence agencies, state intelligence agencies, CISF and Bureau of Civil Aviation Services and are doing their best," he said. Giving relief to air travellers, the BCAS has issued new guidelines in case of long delays. The latest directive came on March 30 and is now in force. The directive has come against rising cases of flight delays and congestion at airports, resulting in passengers getting stranded in aircraft after boarding for long hours.
BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan said that the guidelines would ensure ‘less harassment’ for passengers. Speaking about congestion at airports, the DG in his remarks highlighted that "congestion at airports is unwelcomed and invites anti-national elements." Airport operators have to make arrangements for the infrastructure, including screening for implementing the guidelines," Hasan said and added that a decision on deboarding the passengers will be taken by airlines and security agencies concerned.
He also said that the agency has established optimum standards and developed tools to combat the issue to enhance the passenger experience, they will also implement smart security lanes. According to him, full-body scanners are likely to be operational at the Bengaluru airport this month. In due course, these scanners will be rolled out at airports having annual passenger traffic of more than five million.
It is pertinent to note that the BCAS reorganised into an independent department on April 1, 1987, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation as the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in the country. It is headed by an officer of the rank of Director General of Police and is designated as Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, who is the appropriate authority for the implementation of Annexure-17 to the Chicago Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation is responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP).
