Terror Threat: Red Alert Sounded In Bhubaneswar Airport

Bhubaneswar: With terrorist outfit Al Qaeda threatening to blow up Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, a red alert has been sounded for Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in the Odisha capital.

Talking to the media, BPAI Director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said the red alert has been issued for 10 days along with a standard operating procedure (SOP).

He, however, clarified that it is a part of the routine measures to tackle such threats ahead of Independence Day.

During this period, outsiders will be barred from entering the terminal on a visitor pass. “Only airport staff and visitors will be allowed. No vehicles will be allowed to park near the airport terminal,” he said.

Beuria said that secondary checking, which was being done in a random manner after security checking and before boarding, will be carried out for all passengers.

“More armed personnel will be deployed at the airport and passengers thoroughly checked at the entrance gate. Any person found suspicious will be detained for interrogation and no one will be allowed to keep any object at any place on the periphery of the airport,” he said.

Two armed jawans each will be posted in 13 watchtowers in shifts for 24 hours to keep a strict vigil on the movement of the people near the boundary wall of the airport.

“There will be a three-tier security cover at the airport. To ensure full-proof security more CISF personnel will be deployed at each post. There will be four-armed CISF personnel at the entrance gate. Besides, there will be a three-tier checking inside and outside the terminal. The CISF personnel will track the movement of passengers through 67 CCTV cameras installed at the domestic terminal,” Beuria maintained.

The airport authorities have also included more CISF personnel in the quick response team (QRT), he added.

In accordance with the SOP issued by the airport authorities, if any bag or object is found at any place of the airport lying unclaimed for 15 minutes, the CISF personnel will immediately seize it.