Lack of funds led to 27 important airports missing CISF cover

With the terror attack on Brussels’ Zaventem airport bringing to the fore fresh concerns over airport security, a report by security agencies says. India has not accorded specialised CISF security cover to over two dozen of its such sensitive facilities for the last five years owing to lack of funds. A total of 27 such functional airports are being secured by other security forces like CRPF, India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) or state police units, keeping the designated aviation security force CISF out.

A report by a department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture early this year had said it found it “scary to know the security of eight hyper-sensitive and 19 sensitive airports are not covered by the CISF which has now become the only specialised force for aviation security.” A report recently prepared by the CISF and intelligence agencies has borrowed from the observations of the Parliamentary committee to underline the need for stepping up security at the airports. The about 1.42 lakh personnel-strong Central Industrial Security Force has a dedicated and trained unit for the task under its establishment called the Aviation Security Group (ASG).