A police outpost was inaugurated at the Coimbatore International Airport on Tuesday. It will be manned by four personnel including one from the bomb detection and disposal squad.
The prefabricated outpost of Peelamedu Police Station, set up at a cost of Rs. 4.5 lakh, is positioned at the junction connecting the cargo complex and the airport entrance. It could be shifted if required. It was inaugurated by City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj.
G. Prakash Reddy, Airport Director, said that it was mandatory for all international airports to have a police outpost. This is in addition to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel who are in charge of internal security. Later, Mr. Amalraj chaired the bi-annual ‘Aerodrome Committee’ meeting to discuss the security aspects of the airport. The committee meets in January and July every year to discuss internal and external security measures in place and steps to be taken for their betterment.
Mr. Amalraj, who is the chairman of the committee, said that they have decided to bring the stretch from Sitra Junction on Avinashi Road to the entrance of the international airport under CCTV surveillance. “We have planned to identify the places and number of cameras to be installed,” he said.
He added that internet protocol cameras with night vision will be installed on the stretch and they could also be monitored from the control room of the city police. He was hopeful that this would be done in a couple of months. He said that it has also been decided to improve surveillance at the airport’s outer periphery.
Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials wanted better patrolling from Sitra Junction to the airport to avoid parking of vehicles on the ‘no parking’ zone. The city police have assured them that they will take violators to task and tow away vehicles parked on the road. Senior AAI officials, airline managers, Deputy Commissioner (Law and Order) of the city police Nisha Parthiban, and CISF officers took part in the meeting.
