Authorities today beefed up security around the hypertensiveSrinagar International Airport to prevent any “untoward incident” followingstrike by Indian Air Force across Line of Control (LoC).
Srinagar Airport is under direct operational control of theIAF, which controls its air traffic and landing strip and also the facilitiesof fire-fighting and crash activities, apart from the airspace.
Director, Airports Authority of India, Srinagar, Akash DeepMathur said all necessary security measures have been put in place adding that”enhancing security” becomes imminent at such times when the “entire country ison high alert”.
“We are taking all the precautionary measures and securityhas been beefed up. The security at the entry points has been strengthened andwe are making sure that a foolproof security system is in place,” saidMathur.
Mathur said the terminal building, where the passengerscheck-in and check-out, and the apron area, where an aircraft is parked,controlled by the AAI are also being constantly monitored.
Srinagar Airport, surrounded by dozens of villages and fruitorchards, is situated at a distance of 10 km from Lal Chowk, the city center ofSrinagar and is spread over more than 65 acres of land.
Mathur said security in-house meeting is being regularlyheld. “When it comes to security there is a sense of urgency which is alwaysshown,”.
To mention, during the recent Airport Advisory Committeemeeting, a member had suggested that quarterly security meeting should be heldat the Srinagar Airport. A senior security official at the airport alsoconfirmed that additional preventive measures were being taken at the airport.” Even though the airport is a well guarded one but right now we are monitoringthe activity very closely,” said the official.
In December, 2018, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) did an audit of Jammu, Srinagarand Leh airports to ascertain the number of personnel to be deployed andloopholes to be filled at these hubs before taking over its security assuggested by the Union home ministry.The report was submitted to the homeministry.
Security on the approach road at Srinagar Airport was one ofthe major focus areas of the audit, considering law and order problems theregion. The CISF is also likely to continue with the practice of baggagestamping at these sensitive airports. Srinagar is the busiest among the threeairports in Jammu and Kashmir as the airport witnessed 22.80 lakh passengersfootfalls during 2017, while number of passengers who travelled to or from theairport in 2018 was 26.9 lakhs.
As per sources, CISF is all set to take over security ofhyper-sensitive Srinagar International Airport with the force conducting maidenman-power drill there. CISF is also expected to take over the anti-hijackingoperations that are presently being handled by the Jammu and Kashmir police.The move came after the proposal to handover security of all three airports ofthe State—Srinagar, Jammu and Leh to CISF was cleared by the ministry of homeaffairs (MHA) in a high-level meeting convened in New Delhi during November,2018.