Sheyphali Sharan new Principal Director General of PIB
Sheyphali B Sharan on Monday assumed charge as the Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau, upon superannuation of Manish Desai on Sunday.
With an aim to enhance security procedures, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was given the nod by Public Investment Board (PIB) to install full-body scanners at four strategic airports across the nation, including Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Goa.
According to officials, after an evaluation of the success of full-body scanners at these four airports, the facility will be extended to other airports in due course.
“During the meeting, various aspects such as procurement, installation, security personnel training, and operational procedures were extensively discussed. These advanced full-body scanners utilise millimetre-wave technology and are designed to detect concealed objects based on body contours, enhancing security checks significantly,” said the officials.
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“Full-body scanners will now be installed at the four identified airports, with Kolkata receiving 13 scanners, Chennai 12, Goa eight, and Pune five,” added the official, underscoring the importance of this transformative security enhancement at key airports in India
Earlier in July, the government had initiated a tender process to procure 131 full-body scanners, aimed at halving the average passenger frisking time from the current 30 seconds to just 15 seconds, along with 600 new hand baggage scanners.
This ambitious initiative, costing over Rs 1,000 crore, targeted airports managed by AAI. However, the tender was subsequently withdrawn due to the necessity of clearance from the PIB.
The original proposal encompassed the installation of 131 full-body scanners and 600 hand-baggage scanner machines at 43 airports, including major hubs like Amritsar, Srinagar, Jammu, Varanasi, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, among others, at a budget exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.
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