Attari check post to get full-body truck scanners
GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Attari, March 3
The Centre has okayed the installation of state-of-the art security apparatus at the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), which facilitates India’s bilateral trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to the Union Ministry of Home (MoH), two full-body truck scanners costing around Rs50 crore will be set up, besides 108 high-definition digital CCTV cameras worth Rs4.75 crore. At present, manual checking of vehicles is done with the help of sniffer dogs. The existing analog-tech CCTV cameras are outdated or defunct.
Also, Rs100 crore is being spent on raising infrastructure, including a concrete open perch measuring 1.3 lakh sq ft for the storage of loose cargo and covered sheds on an area of 10,000 sq ft for imported goods such as gypsum, cement, soda ash and dry fruit.
This was stated by BJP MP Shwait Malik, who conducted a joint meeting with the officials of the Customs Department, BSF, Land Ports Authority of India, Central Warehouse Corporation and representatives of export-import traders today.
Malik said he had repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament and held parleys with the MoH.
“I asked in Parliament: ‘When a country like Pakistan, which has a fractured economy, can set up security scanners, why should we compromise with our nation’s security?’ We can’t rely merely on dogs or manual checking to curb smuggling of drugs and weapons,” the MP added.
Malik said Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had informed him that the process of installing security equipment had been expedited. “The tendering process and other formalities have been completed. The installation of CCTV cameras with night-vision facility will be completed in three weeks,” he added.
The BJP MP said full-body truck scanners would also be installed at the Petrapole ICP (India-Bangladesh border), Raxaul ICP (India-Nepal border) and the check posts of Uri-Salamabad and Poonch-Chakkan-da-Bagh.
