That security at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad is not foolproof was demonstrated again on Saturday when a Thai girl smuggled 2.22 kg of heroin worth Rs 2.22 crore past the advanced automated X-ray scanning system and customs check. Sometime ago, a private firm had sent a  chemical pack in the guise of fruit juice. This was revealed when the package started giving off smoke on a Hyderabad-Delhi Kingfisher flight that had to be turned back. The vaunted customs and baggage screening system at the new airport may be world class but lack of coordination between the various agencies is telling on the overall security. While Hyderabad is fast emerging as an aviation hub, the airport has no sniffer dogs to spot dangerous chemicals or explosives, unlike in Mumbai and Delhi. After every security lapse, officials of separate departments blame the others  but do not work out a foolproof and lasting solution. Baggage screening is privatised at the airport and a dog squad is requisitioned only during VIP movement or when they come across a suspicious object. The contention that deployment of sniffer dogs on a regular basis is not feasible is missing the wood for the trees. It is not clear how the contraband could pass through the ‘In line Baggage Checking System’ which supposedly screens baggage at four different levels.

The checked-in luggage of the smuggler  could pass through all the layers of “highly automated” security system. It needs to be established where the security lapse occurred: In the system, or on part of those who were manning it. The customs, strangely enough, does not keep a watch on passengers moving out of the country. Various agencies manning the Shamshabad airport should have been more careful because of the increasing volume of passenger traffic. As many as 200 aircraft fly in and out of Shamshabad with 70,000 passengers transiting through the airport. The customs personnel intervene only when  they are suspicious about some passenger or on specific prior intelligence inputs. In Mumbai and Delhi airports, dog squads at the disposal of the customs department have detected contraband worth hundreds of crores. But the Hyderabad customs is yet to get such a squad. The authorities must stop passing the buck and concentrate on ensuring foolproof security for the passengers.