More than 60 airports to get comprehensive security cover under UDAN scheme

Under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme UDAN, the government is mulling plans to boost up security measures for more than 60 airports in tier 2 and tier 3 cities to ensure the security of domestic air passengers travelling from small air terminals across India.

With the deployment of more than 1,600 troops, the airports will be brought under the comprehensive anti-terror cover of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The proposal, prepared by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the CISF, is currently awaiting approval from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Under the UDAN programme, there are regional differences in the level of airport security. Small airports like Shimla are protected by the CISF, while state police personnel guard some airports included in the regional connection programme.

The 66 domestic and foreign airports in the nation are secured by the national civil aviation security force, or CISF.
According to a senior officer from the Union Home Ministry, "The CISF will get the fresh manpower to guard all the UDAN airports from the pool of 3,049 posts that were recently abolished, from the airports that it is guarding, and replaced by hiring a total of 1,924 private security personnel for these tasks."

A squad of 57 personnel will provide protection for the airports covered by the UDAN programme, with 27 of them coming from the CISF and the remainder from commercial security firms.

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