Mohammed Badrul Ahsan :
Following a continuous pressure and criticism over security standard of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the government has planned to set up ‘human scanning devices’ at the country’s all international airports, sources said.
According to them, seven scanners worth Tk 200 million would be set up at three international airports to strengthen security and check any possible sabotage.
They said, poor security and scanning system in the international airports of the country often draws criticism from foreign and local passengers.
However, a revenue board official told The New Nation that four four-dimentional human scanning devices would be set up at the entry and exit points of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Two similar type of human scanning devices would be set up at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and one at the Osmani Airport in Sylhet.
“Capitalising the loophole of our security system, a section of unscrupulous people use our airports for their illicit trade. Once the scanners are set up, such activities would come down to a tolerable level,” a high official of Shahjalal International Airport told the New Nation preferring anonymity.
“Al most all international airports across the globe set up such scanners many years ago but it is irony of fate that our airports are lacking such a instrument for long although the prices of the device quite cheap and easy to operate,” he added.
“At present, there is no 4d human scanning device at any of the country’s airports,” said Mainul Khan, Directorate Director General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation.
“The devices would enable the customs officials to detect presence of contraband items and weapons in human bodies accurately,” he said.
On November 6, a Bangladesh Ansar member was stabbed to death and four security personnel were injured by a youth at a checkpoint at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Mainul said the devices would also stop the manual scanning of human bodies by the customs officials which often draws criticism from foreign and local passengers.
He said international tenders would be floated soon to purchase the devices the estimated cost of which would be Tk 20 crore.
Since March 10, movement of the air cargo directly from Dhaka to London has remained suspended as Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport failed to meet some international security requirements.
Earlier, London identified poor screening both of passengers and consignments, especially, lack of explosive tracking devices at the airport in Dhaka.
Dhaka appointed a British private aviation security firm ‘Redline Assured Security’ to upgrade the security management and train personnel at the airport at a cost of Tk 73.25 crore.
The firm will continue its project until March 2018.
Following a continuous pressure and criticism over security standard of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the government has planned to set up ‘human scanning devices’ at the country’s all international airports, sources said.
According to them, seven scanners worth Tk 200 million would be set up at three international airports to strengthen security and check any possible sabotage.
They said, poor security and scanning system in the international airports of the country often draws criticism from foreign and local passengers.
However, a revenue board official told The New Nation that four four-dimentional human scanning devices would be set up at the entry and exit points of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Two similar type of human scanning devices would be set up at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and one at the Osmani Airport in Sylhet.
“Capitalising the loophole of our security system, a section of unscrupulous people use our airports for their illicit trade. Once the scanners are set up, such activities would come down to a tolerable level,” a high official of Shahjalal International Airport told the New Nation preferring anonymity.
“Al most all international airports across the globe set up such scanners many years ago but it is irony of fate that our airports are lacking such a instrument for long although the prices of the device quite cheap and easy to operate,” he added.
“At present, there is no 4d human scanning device at any of the country’s airports,” said Mainul Khan, Directorate Director General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation.
“The devices would enable the customs officials to detect presence of contraband items and weapons in human bodies accurately,” he said.
On November 6, a Bangladesh Ansar member was stabbed to death and four security personnel were injured by a youth at a checkpoint at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Mainul said the devices would also stop the manual scanning of human bodies by the customs officials which often draws criticism from foreign and local passengers.
He said international tenders would be floated soon to purchase the devices the estimated cost of which would be Tk 20 crore.
Since March 10, movement of the air cargo directly from Dhaka to London has remained suspended as Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport failed to meet some international security requirements.
Earlier, London identified poor screening both of passengers and consignments, especially, lack of explosive tracking devices at the airport in Dhaka.
Dhaka appointed a British private aviation security firm ‘Redline Assured Security’ to upgrade the security management and train personnel at the airport at a cost of Tk 73.25 crore.
The firm will continue its project until March 2018.
