NEW DELHI: Sikkim's first airport at Pakyong, located near the disputed
Doklam trijunction of
Indo-China-Bhutan border, is in the midst of a controversy with ministries of home affairs and civil aviation sparring over its security cover.
While MHA has proposed to hand over the security of "strategically important" airport to the Central Industrial Security Force (
CISF), ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) is not keen to deploy the central force there and wants local police to secure it.
The MHA has argued that CISF is a professional aviation security force which handles 59 airports across the country and in order to secure Pakyong from enemy aggressions, terror threats, hijacking or any other suspicious activity, it would be practical to involve CISF in its security. PM Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate this first ever airport in the hill state as it is ready for operations.
Pakyong airport will connect Sikkim with other states for the first time. Earlier, the nearest airport to Sikkim was in Bagdogra - 150 kms away, from where air-passengers had to take the road to reach Gangtok or other parts of Sikkim. Low cost airline, SpiceJet, has already got permission to fly to Pakyong from Kolkata for now.
The airport will also prove to be 'strategic' for
Indian Air Force to land its aircraft and transport military equipments in case of any dispute with China.
Officials in MHA and security agencies said local police don't have the means to provide civil aviation security. "On the other hand, CISF has modern gadgetry, highly trained personnel and assistance of central intelligence set-up to provide foolproof security at the airports. With such a sensitive airport, we shouldn't take any risks," said an official, requesting anonymity. MoCA, however, has claimed that Sikkim police can secure the airport as it is part of "regional connectivity scheme" and there is no need to bring in the CISF.
The aviation ministry's refusal to deploy CISF at Pakyong has come as a surprise at North Block considering Arunachal Pradesh government has written to MHA asking it to hand over security of two airports - Tezu and Pasighat airports - to CISF.
