Customs vs CISF - Airport Security Compromised
IT is reported that yesterday for three hours, there was no security at two important gates at the Mumbai International Airport. The reason: A tiff between Customs and CISF.
The airport is supposed to be under the control of the Customs, but these days, with terrorists hovering all around, the importance of the Customs has been relegated and the Security Agency - Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has gained prominence. This has resulted in unwanted animosity between the officers of CISF and Customs and at every airport, this tension erupts once in a way. Fortunately, the trouble is often managed before it becomes a big issue.
In Mumbai, the trouble started when the Customs intercepted two CISF vans on suspicion that they were carrying drugs, which turned out to be incorrect. But the vehicles had no permission to enter high security zones of the airport and so were seized. In protest, CISF pulled their guards from two important gates. But the other version is that some Customs officers got offended when their vehicle was stopped and Customs officers were frisked by CISF. Last month DRI had arrested two sub inspectors of CISF in a gold smuggling case.
Maybe we should have some Force like the US Customs and Border Protection to manage security and Customs in our airports. On an average, the US CBP clears over a million passengers per day!