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November 24, 2001
2358 IST

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CISF to take over security of all airports in country

The paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), specially trained against terrorists and hijackers, were guarding 27 airports across the country and would be deployed at all others in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States, Union Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain said on Saturday.

Presiding over the induction ceremony of the CISF at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Calcutta, Hussain said earlier the modus operandi of terrorists was to hijack planes and demand ransom, but the September 11 attacks had added a new dimension to hijacking, where aircraft were used as missiles for the destruction of men, materials and buildings.

Hussain said that his ministry was ready with contingency plans in case of any eventuality.

"In fact, no discrepancy was found in our contingency plan in the Alliance Air 'hijack' incident of October three," Hussain said.

The minister said that sky marshals had been deployed in aircraft on all routes and even in private airlines like Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines.

Close circuit TVs had been being installed around runways to closely monitor all activities at airports while colour X-ray machines were being installed and smart cards being issued to airport employees, he added.

He said that the state police, who were earlier in charge of security at NSC Bose airport, would be with the CISF personnel for a month.

However, Hussain expressed concern over the 'poor security' at the NSC Bose airport and said this would be taken up with the state government.

He told newspersons later that some houses had been constructed with the support of boundary walls of the airport. The height of a few houses just outside the boundary was more than what the rules permitted.

"Terrorists can easily jump into the airport from there," he said, adding that he had even seen some boys sitting on the boundary wall.

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(c) Copyright 2001 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

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