Attari check post gets modern surveillance equipment
Imported from Israel, one of the equipment called I-scan will be utilised to check the baggage of Samjhauta Express passengers as well as goods trains from Pakistan.
After Centre’s failure to install full-body truck scanners at the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP) even five years after the proposal was mooted, the customs authorities have acquired modern hand-held detectors for identification of narcotics and explosives traces.
Imported from Israel, one of the equipment called I-scan will be utilised to check the baggage of Samjhauta Express passengers as well as goods trains from Pakistan.
“I-scan, which is capable of detecting traces of explosives and narcotics, will come in handy for checking both trucks and scanning baggage of the passengers,” says a customs official. The official adds that the testing of I-scans is currently on and the gadget will be put to use within a week.
Along with three I-scans, which cost around Rs 30 lakh, the customs authorities have also bought another device called video boroscope, which will help in checking cavities in the trucks. The department says it has acquired four video boroscopes.
TRUCK SCANNERS STILL MISSING
The authorities have failed to set up the much hyped full-body truck scanners at the ICP, which was inaugurated to facilitate trade between India and Pakistan in 2012.
While Pakistan has already put the facility in place, checking on the Indian side still depends on hand-held gadgets and human intelligence.