JOIN USParliament to have body scan
Kumar confirmed on Monday that the issue was being debated. “We have held several meetings discussing this issue. It is important from the point of view of security”, she said. It is, however, not known whether MPs too will be made to go through the scanners.
Full-body scanners are used in various airports of the world. The US was the first to do so.
The state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is understood to have been asked to give a demonstration on the operation of the scanner, but it could not be confirmed. BEL, however, does not manufacture the scanners.
The Bangalore-based PSU was recently given an order of Rs 30 crore to further enhance the security system in Parliament, but it did not include whole-body scanners.
The speaker’s statement comes shortly after the Intelligence Bureau suggested that major airports in the country install full-body scanners. The recent incident in Detroit where a Nigerian tried to blow up the plane he was travelling in, after sneaking in explosives strapped around his body, has only highlighted the need for full-body scanners.
Security in and around the Parliament House complex was stepped up after the 2001 attack. Soon after the terror strike, state-of-the-art security gadgets such as boom barriers, active bollards, road blockers, tyre killers, under-vehicle surveillance system, flap barriers and power fence were installed. Emergency sound system and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras were also installed.
While the entry of visitors to Parliament is regulated, regulars such as officials, MPs and journalists are given radio-frequency tags.
BEL CMD A K Datt had said in Bangalore last month that the heightened security provided by BEL in Parliament would have CCTV, baggage checking devices and other intelligent gadgets.
The whole-body scanner is a seven-metre box through one has to pass while entering a building or airport. It uses the “millimetre wave” technology using radio waves to create images which can display any substance or object hidden under clothing. Each scanner costs a staggering $170,000.
The scanner can reveal non-metallic objects such as plastic explosives, liquids, rubber, wire, and ceramic. While metal detectors can screen 500 persons an hour, full-body scanners can check 425.
DH News Service