Move against IB advice; centralised system disrupted in fire 4 months back yet to be repaired
Four months after a fire destroyed the central server of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), airports across the country are issuing identity cards (IDs) and passes to their staff locally, raising serious security concerns.
The BCAS has instructed all government and private airports to issue IDs to their staff after the accident in February. Hitherto, the staff IDs and passes were made by BCAS, on the recommendation of the Intelligence Bureau that this responsibility must be with a nodal agency.
The ID cards issued by BCAS have a unique code that holds the key to detailed information about employees stationed airports. These IDs have been provided to about 10 lakh employees, including officers, at various airports.
With the central server system not functioning, BCAS has little information about the employees to whom the ID cards are being issued.
"This means that the security agency has no information about the individuals who are being issued passes. This could be a major security threat," said a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
BCAS also renews 1.5 lakh temporary passes quarterly and this too has been assigned to the airports.
What's worse is that no one has any idea when the central server will be back in operation. For, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which was hired to maintain the server, has refused to put a new system in place unless its contract is modified.
"The service provider says that, as per the contract, it was responsible only for maintenance. But now that a new system has to be installed, the terms of the agreement have to be changed," said a senior official in BCAS. The two agencies have not be able to resolve the matter even after several meetings.
The BCAS had signed a contract with TCS for maintaining the system for three years till December 2013. When the contract period was over, the security agency extended the contract for another year till December 2014 as it planned to set up a new system.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}