Special report: Security system riddled with glitches at IGI, DIAL says otherwise

The recent terror attack at the Istanbul airport may be an eye-opener for the security agencies of all the international airports across the world, but in the national capital, the agencies are yet to wake up to the compromised security at IGI Airport.

Even after spending almost Rs 5 crore, technical glitches seem to have handicapped the Perimeter Intr-uder Detection System (PIDS) at the Delhi airport. However, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) claims that the PIDS is functioning effectively.

PIDS is a four-layered, hitech security system that eventually covers the entire 27-km perimeter of the airport. The status of PIDS of IGI Airport is still disputed as it has been generating fake alarms.

“Though the system has been improved over the period, still it is generating fake alarms. Around 50-100 alarms are being generated on an average and among them around 80-85 per cent alarms are fake. We cannot rely on this system alone. Even the buried cable hasn’t been working for a long time. The buried cable, which is the second line of this PIDS system, has been out of function for several days,” said a senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official, on the condition of anonymity. The official said that he is not sure whether the PIDS can help the situation.

The PIDS has physical and covert detection systems with taut wire, buried cable, about 200 CCTV cameras for live visuals, radars, more than 40 watch-towers and a patrolling track along the perimeter wall that covers the areas as far as 27 km, excluding the Air Force area and the existing terminal buildings. The PIDS is manned by CISF to detect, assess, neutralise and track potential or actual breaches of the perimeter.

“The situation is thus especially since most airports in the country are situated right next to the city. In Hyderabad, it is functioning fine simply because the airport is at a considerable distance from the main city. But in Delhi or in Mumbai, it’s tough to rely on PIDS alone. We need a combination of manpower and technology to ensure water-tight sealing of the airport perimeter,” said the official.

“At numerous meetings, the CISF had flagged issues such as false alarms,” the official added.

“The PIDS system is not 100 per cent reliable. Due to its malfunction, the CISF has not taken its charge fully under its control. We have been jointly monitoring it with DIAL. If we take charge, we have to reduce the manpower from IGI Airport which will be a serious threat to airport security,” said the official.

“We asked the airport operator to build the watch tower at a distance of 300 meters. Delhi experiences extreme weather conditions, especially during the winter season when fog covers the entire airport premise thus affecting visibility and the security personnel as well,” said the official.

Meanwhile, DIAL said, “In accordance with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) regulatory requirements, the PIDS was installed at the IGI Airport. The PIDS is functioning effectively.”

“PIDS sets off an alarm when a person, animal, vehicle or any unauthorised person applies pressure on the taut wire installed over the perimeter wall. The system is being jointly monitored by the CISF and DIAL team. There is a 24x7 maintenance team in place to ensure uptime and availability of PIDS,” said the DIAL spokesperson.

“The system initially had some teething problems that were duly addressed. The excessive alarms were controlled and the system was stabilised.”

“All technical maintenance issues of PIDS are resolved on a real-time basis by a dedicated PIDS IT support team deployed in Security Operations Control Centre. The system is checked by the CISF through manual testing at least four times a day,” the spokesperson added.

“In the wake of the Pathankot incident, joint exercises have been conducted by the CISF and DIAL. At present, the CISF is manning all security systems, including PIDS,” said the DIAL spokesperson.

Meanwhile boundary walls are being constructed by airport operator on the east and west side of National Highway 8. The construction of the wall opposite Shiv Murti towa-rds the east side is expected to be completed within four months, while the wall between Dwarka Road and Shahbad Mohammadpur village towards the west side is likely to be completed in six months.

“Taking a cue from the 2014 Karachi airport attack, and to tackle terror attacks and evacuation of people during such crisis hours and after analysing such facts, it was concluded that the IGI Airport requires bulletproof vehicles at the earliest to be used for evacuation of passengers during such incidents,” said a source. DIAL said, “The police has been making various security arrangements outside the terminal area, including putting up barricades, deploying manpower and upgrading mobile patrolling through extra deployment of PCR vans and motorcycles.”

If there is any plan of Delhi police to deploy bulletproof vehicles around the city area and approach roads, then it would be a welcome step.”