All major Indian airports to install body scanners

New Delhi: In a bid to improve security screening systems of the Indian airports, the government has decided to install body scanners at all major airports by next year. This will help detect threat from non-metallic explosives like plastic and terrorism tools like chemical, biological, radiation (CBR) that go undetected by usual metal detectors.

Officials of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) added that in next two years, it will be mandatory for all airports to have body scanners and human frisking will be cut down heavily. However, passing through the body scanner for the passengers will be purely voluntarily and those with implants, medical conditions, pregnant women will be frisked manually and through metal detectors.

“Since the nature of threat is changing a lot of technological upgrade is happening in terms of aviation security…We have ordered installations of body scanners as normal scanners cannot detect trace of plastic explosives and other threat material,” said Mr Jyoti Narayan, joint director general of BCAS. He added that radiation detection systems have already been launched to check cargo for CBR and plastic explosives.

The official said that the BCAS is taking several other steps to ensure smooth movement of passengers at the airports without risking security. For instance, new CTX machines are being installed at airports to prevent passengers from taking out laptops and liquid from hand baggage during security scan. The BCAS is also taking initiatives to check threats from “insiders” and sabotage at the airports. From last month, a background check of all  employees working in the airports has started.