The Central Industrial Security Force is likely to get about 6,000 new personnel for security of the Delhi Metro network. A proposal to this effect has been sent to the Union home ministry. If approved, the force’s strength will double with the new inductees, said sources.
According to official data, total existing deployment strength of the Central paramilitary forces to secure the Delhi Metro network is 4,869 and an additional 1,131 personnel have been called in from other states to serve in Delhi. The sources said the proposal to induct additional 6,000 personnel in the CISF is under consideration of the Union home ministry. The proposal has been prepared in coordination with Central security agencies. This strength is the minimum required to effectively secure Metro stations under the fully operational Phases I and II and upcoming Phase III. It is expected that the Union home ministry will soon give its final sanction for the additional CISF manpower.
The CISF personnel securing the Delhi Metro face daily footfall of around 26 lakh. The ever-increasing footfall of passengers has put a strain on the existing manpower, which is duty-bound to ensure Metro security.
The Delhi Metro network covers Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon, with over 150 stations between these locations. To tackle crowded Metro stations, the CISF has been demanding that its manpower must be increased.
The sources said they do not want to take any risk and keeping in mind last year’s incident in which a man was able to sneak in a pistol and use it to fire on himself in the Rajiv Chowk Metro station is one such major incident that has underlined the need to have more personnel on ground to check thronging crowds at a number of stations in the network.
The CISF also plans to use new manpower to keep a bird eye’s view on the outer peripheries of the Metro stations and enhance patrols and quick reaction teams to sanitise areas like parking lots and main entry and exit points for anti-terror strike surveillance.
