Seaports, airports to get radiation detection equipment

Security at airports, seaports and border check posts will be strengthened with the installation of modern radiation detection equipment developed by Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). The equipment consists of a vehicle monitoring system, a portal monitor to check personal baggage/persons and special nuclear material baggage detection system for check-in baggage.

Rs. 70-cr. order

The company has bagged an initial Rs.70-crore order for installing the equipment by next January at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (Navi Mumbai), Mumbai Port, Kandla, Goa, New Mangalore, Cochin, Tuticorin, Ennore, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata ports. With the ports in the country not having such equipment, containers to be transhipped to the United States were first sent to Singapore or Sri Lanka for getting them scanned, according to ECIL sources.

14 airports to have equipment

The equipment will be positioned in 14 airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Amritsar. In a phased manner, the remaining airports will be covered. Similarly, it is proposed to be installed at 13 integrated border check-posts. The check posts at Wagah-Attari and on either side of the India-Nepal border will have the equipment in the near future.

International specifications

The sources said the equipment met all international specifications. In case of detection of any radioactive material, it would set off an alarm and send audio and visual alarms to local and central control rooms linked to the system. The company has implemented and maintained over 400 security projects for vital installations in the country. Among its major projects were the Integrated Security Systems for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Delhi City Police Surveillance. Mr. Mayya said that the company was looking to install similar integrated security systems in Mumbai and other cities.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3381141.ece