Surat: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will soon be deployed at Surat airport. Given phenomenal increase in passenger traffic and airport’s location close to Arabian Sea, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has recommended to Ministry of Home Affairs deployment of CISF personnel there for security.Talking to TOI over phone from Benguluru, BCAS director general Rakesh Asthana said, “The bureau has recommended CISF deployment at Surat airport and it will be done in a month. At present, the airport is being provided security cover by state police.”Asthana said a team of BCAS officials visited Surat airport two days ago. The officials have submitted a report saying that the airport urgently needs CISF deployment looking at the increased movements of VVIPs, including Prime Minister, and passenger traffic. The TOI had carried a report on January 23 on the assurance given by Asthana to an airport activist about deployment of CISF at Surat airport.Surat airport is served by 27 daily flights to various destinations. The airport has approximately 1.5 lakh passenger traffic per month and that international operations to Sharjah is all set to commence from February 16.Sources said there is an MOU between Government of Gujarat and AAI for cost of providing security but that was long back in year 2006 when airport did not have sufficient flights. There is also a condition in the MOU that till the time airport gets developed, cost will be borne by GoG. Now Surat is one of the busiest airports in the country.Interestingly, small airports like those in Diu and Rajkot having one and five flights respectively and serving 2,000 and 20,000 passengers per month have CISF security cover. But not Surat airport which has 27 flights with 1.50 lakh passengers per month. Airport activist Rajesh Modi said, “DG BCAS is former police commissioner of Surat and is well aware of the city’s geography and the need for CISF deployment. It is good news that Surat airport will get CISF cover within one month.”

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