The Union home ministry has raised a red flag to the proposal of the civil aviation ministry to create a new civil aviation security force to guard Indian airports. The home ministry has cited national security concerns and maintained that the CISF, which is already in charge of airport security, has the requisite training and mandate to guard vital installations like airports.
The ministry is also working on a proposal to gradually hand over the critical security of sensitive airports like Srinagar to the CISF. Presently, the CRPF is taking care of security of airports at Srinagar and Imphal.
The security of Aizwal airport, which is presently with the state police, will also be handed over to the CISF. Once the process is complete, the CISF will become the sole Central paramilitary force to be guarding all Indian airports. The home ministry is also undertaking an extensive audit of security of all airports, following which it will take steps to overhaul the security infrastructure at airports.
The proposal to create a separate aviation security force was drawn to avoid duplication of authority and to ensure that the entire security paraphernalia was handled by one force. The move came after a panel of the International Civil Aviation Organisation recommended legislative changes and formation of a new aviation security force under the control of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The need to revamp the security at all Indian airports has particularly gained attention after the terror attack at Brussels airport in March this year, where three coordinated suicide bombings took place.
