PTI
 
New Delhi, Mar 7: As airports in the country face increasing threats from terrorists, the government has decided to provide a fool-proof CISF security cover to eight more such facilities, including the sensitive ones at Srinagar and Leh.

The CISF is presently guarding 54 airports including the newly-privatised ones at Delhi and Mumbai and the green-field airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore besides several sensitive government installations.

Besides Srinagar and Leh, the new airports which would be given CISF security cover are Gorakhpur, Bhavnagar, Dehradun, Jamnagar, Porbandhar and Shillong, the force's acting Director General S I S Ahmed said here.

However, the Srinagar airport would still be under the control of a Joint Command of various central security forces.

Airports in the country went on a high alert as many as 42 times in 2006 after intelligence inputs warned of plans by various terror groups to hijack passenger aircraft and blow up airports.

Addressing a press conference here ahead of its 38th Raising Day, the CISF Director General made a strong plea for improving the security infrastructure at airports in view of the threats from terror outfits.

He said the Airports Authority of India was seriously considering upgrading security at the airports with special emphasis on explosive detection, access control, anti-sabotage and anti-hijacking measures.

The stress is on bio-metric and explosive detection systems," Ahmed said.

The CISF has already decided to set up a special Aviation Training Institute in Hyderabad to train its men in handling security duties at the airports besides raising a separate dog squad for the purpose.

The force is planning to construct a model airport, housing a terminal and apron area, at the institute to provide real-time training to its personnel besides using simulators to give them the cutting edge.

Besides airports, CISF provides security cover to 13 seaports, sensitive nuclear and space installations, steel plants, coal fields, oil refineries, heritage and government buildings and note printing presses and mints.

The one-lac strong force, which came into existence in 1969, was given the task of providing security to VIPs last year after which it raised 1,200 specially trained personnel for the purpose.

CISF also offers technical consultancy in general and cyber security management to private sector establishments besides training the personnel of other paramilitary forces and police.