House Panel Dismisses Idea of Aviation Force, Bats for CISF Cover for All Airports

A proposal for a dedicated civil aviation security force to look after security affairs of the airports has been dismissed by a Parliamentary Standing Committee, but it has strongly suggested an aviation security policy for ensuring fool-proof security at airports.

Arguing against a dedicated security force, it said multiple agencies were already engaged in airport security and were playing a substantial role in this respect. But it stressed the urgent need for having an aviation security policy as there are “several gaps” in the absence of a unified command and control among the multiple agencies involved.

It observed that aviation security has not received the attention and importance that it deserved. The Standing Committee on Transport has strongly suggested bringing all the 70 airports in the country under the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Dismissing the special security force proposal, the committee also felt that airport security should continue to be managed by the CISF, the IB, NSG and other police forces. The commissioner’s post of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, lying vacant for the last two-and-a-half years, should be filled up on a priority basis, it recommended.

About the relocation and rehabilitation of slum dwellers from the vicinity of the Mumbai International Airport, the committee said the matter should be settled as soon as possible so that the encroached land is brought within the control of airport operators for necessary expansion.

Along with ramping up the CISF infrastructure, it said security of hyper sensitive airports should be given over to the CISF as soon as possible followed by sensitive airports.

“The committee finds it is quite scary to know that the security of eight of our hyper sensitive and 19 of our sensitive airports is not covered by the CISF which has become the only specialised force for aviation security; now the question is who is then guarding these airports and how secure these airports are?,” the committee asked.