New Delhi, Apr 25 (IANS): The air courier services for ferrying the security personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF and ITBP to Chhattisgarh will be resumed from May 7.
This facility has been resumed for Kolkata-Agartala, Kolkata-Aizawal-Silcher, Delhi-Dibrugarh-Guwahati, Delhi-Srinagar Delhi, Srinagar-Jammu-Srinagar and Delhi-Leh-Delhi sectors on April 23 and 24.
The Border Security Force (BSF), which is the coordinating agency for the air courier services, has issued a letter on April 21, informing that as per the approval from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, now the air courier service will be operative by InterGlobal Aviation Limited (Indigo) Airlines on all approved routes till July 31, 2023.
These air courier services were halted for a while because the tenure of the contract with Air India lapsed on March 31.
On April 8, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified that the air courier services for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and to the Northeast have not been suspended which have been operative since July, 2010.
"The privatisation of Air India resulted in a slight delay in the finalisation of the tenders by the Border Security Force. The MHA has already granted approval for the continuation of services by Air India and the tender for 2022-23 has also been finalised and orders are under issue," the Home Ministry had said in a statement.
Following the 2019 terror attack at Pulwama (Kashmir) in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives, the Home Ministry had again facilitated air courier services for the security personnel of CAPF, Intelligence Bureau and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel posted in Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir sectors under the welfare measures.
These security personnel of CAPFs, Intelligence Bureau and NDRF use the air courier facility while going for posting or for leaving for home town for the sanctioned leave from J&K, Northeast region and Chhattisgarh or while returning to place of posting after leave.