Terrorist attack on Belgium’s Zaventem airport has send a cold lesson to the entire world that security of airports needs to be beefed up so that recurrence of tragic incidents like that in Belgium is not allowed to happen. We in India are already face to face with the jihadi terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and at stray places in other parts of the country. Therefore, it becomes important for our security planners to take stock of the effectiveness of the security arrangement we have put up at various airports in the county. We understand that there are several security agencies charged with the duty of providing security to various airports in the country and that there is no uniform system of providing security. Essentially it is the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that has to provide security to all airports within the country. Practically that is not happening. Security forces like CRPF, India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) or State police units, are keeping the designated aviation security force CISF out of the scene. There is no uniform system of who is to provide security to whom. A report by a department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture early this year, had also expressed its concern, saying it found it “quite scary to know that the security of eight of our hyper-sensitive and 19 of our sensitive airports are not covered by the CISF which has now become the only specialized force for aviation security.”To sum up, out of the total 98 functional airports in the country, 59 are under CISF cover leaving 39 out of the loop. Out of the 59 airports under CISF cover, 53 are operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and six by joint ventures or private players. A report by security agencies says India has not accorded specialized CISF security cover to two dozen of its such sensitive facilities for the last five years owing to lack of funds.
Airport assets are of extreme importance and need fullest possible security. The Union Government needs to take a very serious view of the prevailing situation. Security of the highest order has to be provided at all airports to make travels secure especially for the women, children and old people. No airport in the country, big or small is to be left without a doze of security cover. We may even go to the length of saying that the twin airports of Srinagar and Jammu needed to be given highest level of security keeping in mind the sensitive situation there.
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