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AAI seeks enhanced security

BERHAMPUR: Following the terrorist attack in Mumbai, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requested the State Government to increase security at all used and unused air strips and airports in the State.

Speaking to newsmen in the city on Tuesday, executive director of the AAI’s eastern zone P. K. Singhal said they had already written to the Orissa Government about it. According to him apart from increasing security at the Bhubaneswar airport, enhancing security at the small air strips around the State was also need of the hour. Mr Singhal was in the city to inaugurate a residential colony of the AAI.

He was accompanied by director of Bhubaneswar AAI, Sanjay Jain. It may be noted that there are many small air strips in the State like the ones at Rangeilunda in Ganjam district or Koraput which do not have adequate security around them.

Mr Singhal said another airport would come up at Jharsuguda.

The State Government would provide land for the airport. The AAI intends to spend Rs. 90 crores in the first phase to develop the airport.

Mr Singhal said to enhance air surveillance in the eastern zone of the country three more Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) stations were to be established in the region. One of them would be established at Jharsuguda. These new radar stations would make air surveillance in the region streamlined. An MSSR station has the capacity to hold surveillance over a range of 256 nautical miles. One such surveillance radar station is functional at Narendrapur on the outskirts of the city.

These radar systems are used in air traffic control not only to detect and measure the position of aircraft but also request additional information from the aircraft itself such as its identity and altitude. The MSSR relies on the radar transponders in the aircraft, which replies to each interrogation signal by transmitting its own response containing encoded data. It is also based on the military ‘Identification Friend or Foe’ (IFF) technology.

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