The non-functional closed-circuit television cameras at Patna airport terminal building. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and doorfr-ame metal detectors are part of standard security apparat-us across airports in the country. But such things are unheard of at Jai Prakash Nara-yan International Airport.

One-and-a-half years have passed since work started on the installation and operation of 48 CCTV cameras at the Patna airport but the executing agencies are yet to finish it. Doorframe metal detectors are also missing at the airport, which handles daily passenger traffic of over 2,500.

On a visit to Patna on Mar-ch 24, 2011, regional executive director (eastern region), Airports Authority of India, Gautam Mukherjee had claimed that work on installing CCTV cameras at the airport was in an advanced stage and the machines would become operational within three months.

However, the only visible progress till date has been the installation of few CCTV cameras inside the airport terminal building. None of the cameras is operational, even the control room has not been set up yet. No CCTV camera can be seen in the parking lot, which is situated at a distance of less than 50m from the terminal building.

Airport director Arvind Dubey told The Telegraph: “We wanted to make the CCTV camera-based surveillance system at the airport functional as initially scheduled. Unfortunately, we have been unable to do so because of some technical reasons. The people concerned have been asked to expedite the process and complete the work at the earliest.”

Mirza Faizan, a city-based aviation scientist and chief executive officer of Bangalore-based Avembsys Technologies Private Limited, said: “Patna airport can be considered as a sensitive airport owing to its proximity to Nepal. Though most airports in the country lack doorframe metal detectors at the entrance of terminal buildings, the passengers are at least checked by hand-held metal detectors. I have hardly seen any such measure at Patna airport. Security in the parking lot is equally essential. Here, I would like to cite the example of Glasgow airport strike in which a jeep full of explosives rammed into the airport terminal in June 2007. Here, the situation is more sensitive as the distance between the parking area and the terminal building is less.”

Fliers have also expressed safety concerns. “Though the security personnel at the entrance of the terminal building check the credentials of passengers but I have not seen any doorframe metal detector over there. What would happen if some terrorist leaves a timer-fitted explosive at some corner, for instance inside dustbins, before flying off,” said Abhinav Kumar, a frequent flier from the airport.