‘How will the checked-in baggage be kept sterilised till it reaches the airport and then the aircraft?’

Even as the countdown to the Commonwealth Games has begun with the Delhi Metro’s express link to the airport almost 40 per cent complete, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has raised objections to the much-touted direct baggage check-in facility at three Metro stations.

The BCAS has expressed concern over the possibility of ‘contamination’ of baggage after check-in, which raises serious security concerns amid high threat perception at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The plan, according to sources, will affect the standard safety procedures followed across airports in the country.

“While direct baggage check-in has been proposed at three different city air terminals (Metro stations), it hasn’t been understood as to how the checked-in baggage can be kept sterilised till it reaches the airport and then to the aircraft,” a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

BCAS sources said the direct check-in plan does not ensure foolproof sterilisation of passengers or their baggage at a time of such increased threat, with the Commonwealth Games round the corner.

According to official sources in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), provisions are being made for the baggage check-in facility at the New Delhi railway station, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan. “But baggage from all the other stations will be allowed in trains on this line,” an official said.

The express link will have six stations — New Delhi railway station, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, National Highway 8, Airport and Dwarka Sector 21. Dhaula Kuan will be the only elevated terminal among the three city air terminals.

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