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Finally, Juhu Aerodrome to Get CISF Cover Next Month

  • Induction of personnel to guard the airstrip will begin in the first week of April; MiD DAY had through a series of reports highlighted the vulnerability of the siteFrom the beginning of the next fiscal year, the crew at Mumbai's Juhu aerodrome will feel a lot more secure. That's because deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the vulnerable airstrip will finally see light of day.According to a recent order sent to Airports Authority of India (AAI), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that security at Juhu aerodrome is a priority and drafting of CISF personnel for the same will begin in first week of April.

  • "We have received the final order from MHA and induction of 174 CISF personnel will start from the first week of April.We have been asked to provide accommodation to some of the security personnel and we are making serious efforts to take care of that. The induction will be done in different phases," said M Yadagiri, director, Juhu aerodrome.Cover 'blown'?With the new directives of MHA, the existing CISF cover of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) inside the airport will be withdrawn and merged with the new sanction.The move comes after a recent assessment visit by an expert committee of MHA. "Yes it is in the order that CISF cover for ONGC be withdrawn and merged with the airport cover.

  • ONGC will pay for its usage, but the power of supervision will lie with Juhu aerodrome," Yadagiri added. Sources close to ONGC maintained that there were some disputes with the airport related to the supervision of CISF, but those have been sorted out.The sanction related to the deployment of CISF personnel at the airstrip was granted months ago by MHA but with the aerodrome management citing its poor income and inability to provide accommodation to security personnel, the induction had got delayed ('No CISF for Juhu airport until they get a home', October 21, 2011).

  • Off guard!

  • Till date, the aerodrome only has 9 unarmed guards at a time to ensure security for the premises spanning 400 acres ("At Juhu aerodrome, only 9 guards man 400 acres at any given point", January 4).On September 13 last year, Intelligence Bureau (IB) sent out an all-India alert stating that a small aircraft may be used to carry out a terror attack in the country.Security was reinforced and checks were intensified at airports, including at Juhu aerodrome, the hub of small aircraft operations in western India.Top police officials personally visited the site frequently. In a bid to avoid a possible strike, authorities issued fresh directives including conducting special background checks on flyers, intensifying boarding pass procedures, and compulsorily removing copter battery when the chopper was not in use.

  • 400

  • Area (in acres) of the aerodrome

  • 174

  • No of CISF guards sanctioned for the airstrip

  • Rs 12-14 cr

  • Annual income of Juhu airstrip

  • Rs 65 cr

  • Projected cost that would be incurred to get CISF cover

Source