New Delhi:: On Monday, a Parliamentary Committee related to the Standing Committee for Transport, Tourism, and Culture proposed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation explore the possibility of establishing a specialized security agency exclusively for airports, in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The report, which was presented in parliament, focused on the development of greenfield and brownfield airports, along with issues concerning civil enclaves in defense airports.

According to the accessed report, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) plays a crucial role in providing security at airports. The CISF has 353 units deployed, and interestingly, 18.7 percent of these units are solely dedicated to airport security.

The Committee acknowledged the wide range of responsibilities that the CISF shoulders, as it provides security to various installations across the country, including airports. However, the committee also recognized the exponential growth of the Civil Aviation Sector, anticipating a faster pace of growth in the near future, which will demand more manpower for airport security.

As a result, the Committee recommends that the Ministry of Civil Aviation collaborates with the Ministry of Home Affairs to explore the feasibility of establishing a specialized security agency exclusively for airports.

Previously, the Costs of Deployment (CoD) of CISF deployment were borne by the respective airport management/AAI. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation established the "National Aviation Security Fee Trust (NASFT)" in 2019 to handle such costs. NASFT's mandate includes remittance to CISF (Aviation Security Group - ASG) for the deployment expenses. Since July 1, 2019, NASFT centrally pays CISF COD for all airports.

The Committee was informed that the total outstanding dues of Cost of Deployment (COD) for 66 airports under CISF amount to Rs 4707 crores. Interestingly, more than 64 percent of these dues are attributed to the 16 joint venture airports.

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