NEW DELHI: The Centre has put on fast track the proposal to introduce smart cards for entry and exit at airports after the Mumbai terror attack.
Aviation minister Praful Patel said: “The launch of biometric smart cards is on the priority list of the ministry.”
He refused to divulge details, but sources said the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) was giving a final shape to the project. At present, BCAS issues passes to
people working at airports.
“BCAS passes are issued after a positive whetting by intelligence agencies and smart cards too will be issued in a similar way,” a ministry official said.
Each pass has personal details, photograph, addresses and signature of the competent authority. But “the card will have a small chip loaded with details such as thumb impression, personal information, photograph, etc. These details will be accessible in data form to security agencies,” the official said.
“Smart cards are being already used in offices of the Airports Authority of India and very soon, these will be launched at airports,” a senior official involved in the project said. Mumbai and Delhi would be the first two airports to have the smart card system.
After the launch of the new system, BCAS plans to have separate entry and exit points at airports for smart card users. The doors will digitally connected to a computer and personal details and thumb impressions will appear on the screen.
