Following The Pioneer report on the glaring lapses in Parliament House Complex (PHC) security, lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that while some corrective steps have been taken following the report by the ad-hoc committee, it has been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for further action. The Speaker, however, did not elaborate on these corrective measures. “Security of any institution is a continuous process and there is a need to review and upgrade it from time to time so as to counter the emerging challenges to security and technology,” Mahajan said.
The Speaker had constituted the Expert Committee on Security with former Home Secretary RK Singh and two former top cops Satyapal Singh and Harish Meena. Mahajan said that since these members are expert in security issues, this committee was set up to utilise their “profound knowledge and vast experience”... and also with a purpose “to improve, streamline and strengthen the security set-up of Parliament.” The lS Speaker added that this committee held detailed discussions with various agencies and experts in security and submitted its interim report on October, 2014 following which the Secretariat has started taking action on “some of the issues” immediately.
“The committee, which presented its final report in March 2015, has given valuable suggestions and suitable action will be taken by the agencies concerned after discussion in the Joint Committee on Security in Parliament House Complex. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal agency and holds the responsibility of security of Parliament. Therefore, this report has been shared with them for better coordination and proper action,” Mahajan said in a statement.
The Pioneer had on Tuesday reported the contents of this Expert Committee’s report which pointed towards several loopholes that can create a security crisis. The report pointed out towards 100 faulty CCTVs in the premises, a nearly collapsing Integrated Security System which has sensors, alarm systems, access control etc.
This committee also mentioned that the security personnel at PHC do not have modern gadgets to thwart new terror threats and several do not even have basic bullet proof helmets and patkas. Besides, there are no modern gadgets with technology for face detection, intrusion tracking and other video analytics. Several of the 12 iron gates of PHC are not covered by any deployment and the boundaries of some gates are covered with thick tall grass and vegetation. The committee also recommended increasing the number of Parliament Duty Group personnel and Quick Reaction Teams for security cover.