Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) is going in for a security upgrade. Alert to the potential terrorist threat, the Centre has sanctioned 518 personnel under the Counter Terrorist Contingency Plan (CTCP) to keep vigil on its premises.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of the security of the airport, has already incorporated the CTCP in its security measures. Now, CSIA will be under the blanket cover of its 518 specially-trained personnel. The terminal marshals patrolling inside the airport will be provided MP5 rifles; they are armed with AK-47s at present.
The move follows the 26/11 attacks and frequent terror alerts at the CSIA. It is aimed at dispelling the notion that the airport is a sitting duck for terror attacks, airport sources said. “The Centre has sanctioned 518 security personnel under CTCP to man the city-side area of the airport,” says senior commandant of the Mumbai airport Jitendra Negit.
The deployment of CISF officials on this was done on the recommendation of the bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS), he added.
Personnel under the CTCP, who have undergone commando training, will be deployed outside the domestic (Santacruz) and international (Sahar) terminal of the Mumbai airport. They will operate throughout the day in three shifts outside the terminal, right from where vehicles enter the airport premises.
“Barricading and nakabandi will be done at various alighting points and parking areas,” said a CISF official. A Quick Reaction Team (QRT) will be stationed at both the terminals. The aim of the CTCP is to screen the entry of passengers and ensure that the terror elements are not able to enter the airport building.
At present, 1,900 CISF officials are stationed inside the terminal buildings of the airport. “The presence of trained and heavily armed personnel will also instil confidence in the travellers,” he added.
The security system at the airport has already been awarded an ISO 9001:2008 certification by Lloyd’s Register group for quality service. “The ISO certification will also ensure that there is a security audit every six months, which will also keep us on our toes,” the official said. At present the Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi, is the only other airport in the country to have the ISO certification and CTCP.
