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CBEC floats tender for sub-standard GAMMA scanners
New Delhi, Feb 17: The Central Board of Customs and Excise (CBEC) has floated a tender for procurement of GAMMA scanners, which do not match the quality of such devices available in the global market. The tender is for purchase of three mobile scanners, for Chennai, Kandla and Tuticorin Port, that has the penetration power of 150 mm of steel.
''But,
there
are
scanners
available
in
the
global
market
that
have
a
higher
level
of
penertration
power
with
the
ability
to
scan
through
200
mm
of
steel,''
the
sources
said.
Mobile
scanners
are
used
for
scanning
containers
in
ports
and
borders
to
check
hidden
arms
and
ammunition
and
other
items
like
bombs
and
explosives.
These
scanners
are
required
as
a
measure
of
security
on
the
ports,
because
every
container
cannot
be
inspected
manually.
The
Board
has
zeroed
on
to
just
gamma-ray
scanning
systems,
that
ignores
the
scanning
of
the
x-rays.
CBEC
had
already
purchased
the
same
kind
of
scanner
from
the
US-based
ECIL/Rapiscan
in
2003
for
JNPT,
Mumbai.
''The
images
transmitted
by
the
system
were
not
very
clear,
which
was
a
major
shortcoming...
the
purpose
for
which
it
has
been
deployed
was
defeated,''
the
sources
said.
The other problems included short-circuiting of PCBs, failure of hydraulic system, water seepage and poor images on the scanner. The scanner haS limited utility for handling metal scrap, dense chemicals, agri items and sea products. ''CBEC had paid 9.57 crores for that mobile GAMMA scaner which was normally sold by Rapiscan for less than four crores in the US,'' the sources said.
UNI
