A series of proposals in this regard have been made by the Civil Aviation Ministry which were being vetted by the Union Home Ministry. A Committee has also been set up in the Civil Aviation Ministry to decide on the installation of full- body scanners at Indian airports.
"After the Home Ministry clears these measures, the CCS will take a final view before anything is finalised," Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said after inaugurating a two-day Regional Aviation Security Conference, being held under the aegis of UN body International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), here.
He replied in the affirmative when asked whether the proposals included restructuring of the BCAS, which lays down aviation security standards and monitors implementation of security rules and regulations, even through mock exercises.
India has recently successfully undertaken audit of all major aviation security activities, including air cargo security, he said. To questions relating to installations of body scanners as in the US, Ravi said, "Need is being felt to introduce this technology in India. Some experimentation is being carried out on Delhi.
"But there are several issues, including medical and privacy, which have to be dealt with. There are also questions relating to efficacy and efficiency of these equipment."
He said a Committee has been set up to go into these issues. "We will have to be very careful before taking any decision. All aspects have to be carefully considered," he said, adding that "nothing has been finalised so far."
In this context, the US government is bringing a law to forbid the posting of an airline passenger's full-body body scanner image on the Internet. The proposed legislation, introduced last week in the US Congress, would criminalise any such posting and impose on violators fines of up to USD 1,00,000 and jail terms of up to one year, official source here said quoting reports.
Similar laws would be needed in India whenever such Advanced Imaging Technology is put in place at airports here, sources said. Asked if any cost of introducing high-tech security gadgets would be passed on to the passengers, Ravi said, "I don't think so. It is the duty of the government to provide security."
Earlier, while inaugurating the security conference, the minister said a revamp of security operations and organisations was on the anvil to meet the burgeoning domestic air traffic which has been growing by over 10 per cent and was estimated to reach 300 million by 2020.
Addressing the gathering of top aviation security officials from across the globe, ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin said, "Let us not wait for the next terror attack. Let us work together to prevent it."
US Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole, who has served for over two decades in the FBI, said, "International terror threat requires an international response" and called for "raising the security bar" through global cooperation.
Aviation security experts from various countries are deliberating on the changing threat perceptions to the sector and whether security activities were being carried out on the lines recommended by the global aviation body ICAO.
The Conference would evolve an aviation security roadmap which can be used by countries to proactively and jointly counter and prevent acts of unlawful interference against global civil aviation.
The participants would also review the compliance by various nations on the Security Declaration made in the 37th ICAO Assembly last year and carry out a risk overview of the recent developments in aviation security.
The Declaration had laid out a comprehensive aviation security strategy, focusing on seven key areas, including ways to address new kinds of threats, efficient security approaches, promoting sharing of information among nations and improving the human factor and security culture.
Officials from International Air Transport Association, Airports Council International, European Civil Aviation Conference and UK's Department of Transport are attending the conference, besides delegates from several countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Bhutan.
The conference will be followed by a two-day Aviation Security Training programme for senior executives of the Indian aviation industry.