Offering of mass prayers in the parking area of Mumbai airport by a certain community has not gone down well with the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, which has demanded removal of temporary arrangements, cit
Offering of mass prayers in the parking area of Mumbai airport by a certain community has not gone down well with the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, which has demanded removal of temporary arrangements, citing security concerns.
In a press conference, the organisation’s Mumbai spokesperson said that it has become a matter of security concerns and the temporary arrangement, which has been put up near Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, should be removed. The spokesperson said it is a very sensitive area and according to aviation safety rules, there should be no gathering around ATC.
Still, every day, as many as 300 to 400 people gather there to offer their prayers. “We have written several letters to Mumbai airport management to remove this arrangement from there,” said the spokesperson.
Even guards of private security agencies working at Mumbai airport perceived this as a serious matter and said there is always a huge crowd around the parking area and it can help any suspicious person hiding in the crowd to reach near ATC. “The boundary wall of the tower is only 10 feet and again, it is a huge risk to the security as anyone can jump it so authorities should try to keep the area remote,” commented a guard who did not wish to be named.
According to these security personnel, offering prayer in the airport parking area is not new. Recently, this community has been acquiring more and more place and airport authorities have been taking it lightly as now, domestic operations of Air India too have shifted to the international terminal and this terminal does not need too much area for parking like it used to earlier.
