Surat: While it invests crores of rupees on deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the State police personnel at airports across the country, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) takes refuge in shortage of funds when it comes to securing the Surat airport!
In a letter to the Director General (DG) of CISF obtained under Right to Information Act (RTI), AAI has clearly stated that the pre-induction of CISF personnel as approved by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) at Surat airport will be an additional burden due to fund shortage following Covid-19 pandemic.
Therefore, the competent authority of AAI decided to defer the proposed deployment and induction of CISF at Surat airport till the next financial year which will be reviewed in March-2021 again.
As per information gathered under the RTI, AAI spent Rs 1,200 crore for CISF deployment at the airports managed by it across the country and Rs 35 crore was spent for the state police deployment at some of the airports in 2018-19.
Surprisingly, Surat airport which falls in the category of top 30 airports in the country with approximately 1.5 lakh passengers travelling to and from the airport per month pre-Covid-19 has been deprived of CISF security from the last many years.
Interestingly, AAI spent Rs 20.58 crore on CISF at Vadodara airport and Rs 10 crore at Rajkot airports respectively in 2018-19. Both these airports have lesser footfalls compared to Surat airport.
Sources said that the AAI had estimated Rs 10 crore worth of expenditure on the CISF induction at the Surat airport for the setting up of barracks and office, furniture, communication and security gadgets, utensils, electrical work, renting of the residential for the CISF personnel etc.
It must be noted that the Gujarat government and the AAI had entered into an agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2003 for the development of the airport for scheduled operations. However, in last 17 years, the Gujarat Govvernment has spent Rs 18 crore on electricity and water supply bills along with Rs 70 crore on the state police deployment at the airport.