Airport Metro link corridor to be guarded by pvt securitymen

From The Economic Times
22 SEP, 2010


NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro's high-speed Airport Express line will not be manned by specialised CISF personnel, who are guarding the existing network, but by unarmed private securitymen of a Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium. 

Reliance has recruited 10-12 inspectors of the CISF giving them lucrative salaries besides taking over 60 retired men from other forces like the elite SPG protecting the Prime Minister and his family, NSG, CRPF and BSF. 

The CISF inspectors opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) from the government to join the sensitive project. 

Interestingly, these CISF men were protecting other Metro lines which are currently operational. 

The 23-km link from New Delhi to IGI Airport corridor will be made operational by this month-end. 

"Security of the Airport line will have personnel having rich experience in police, military and paramilitary and are already on board. Three private security agencies are on board to provide trained guards and supervisors," a Reliance Infrastructure Ltd spokesperson said. 

"The project is ready in all aspects and will be operational immediately after a certificate from the Railway Safety Commissioner," the spokesperson said. 

According to sources, the consortium would also write to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for hiring the services of the sniffer dogs squad and the commandos of the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of CISF to thwart any possible sabotage and terror attacks. 

But the normal security checks would be carried out by the private securitymen only. 

The network will have six stations-- New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aerocity, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dwarka Sector-21-- and every station will have a security control room guarded by these officials, sources involved in the project said. 

The ex-servicemen will act as security managers and controllers at these stations and will be armed with technical gadgets for frisking passengers and scanning of baggage. 

Baggage scanners trained by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security will be deployed on the link. 

Successful trials of this link have already being conducted by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation, under the Ministry of Railways.