CISF to take over Leh airport’s security from Aug 4

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Sunday said it would be taking over the responsibility of providing security at the Leh airport from August 4.

The airport is the country’s highest-altitude commercial aviation facility in the newly created Union Territory of Ladakh.

The officials in the force said a contingent of about 100 CISF personnel would provide round-the-clock armed security at the strategically important airport, located at 3,256 metres above sea level.

The aviation facility, known as Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and with the CISF, will be having the 64th civil airport under its security cover. It is guarded by the local police at present.

Ladakh became a UT on October 31 last year after the Central Government revoked the special status given to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into UTs.

The force has a special aviation security group (ASG) to provide counter-terror cover to the airports and it has taken over such passenger facilities at Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) in February and March respectively.

Air India, Vistara, GoAir and SpiceJet operate commercial passenger flights between Leh and Delhi. A new passenger terminal at the airport is being built at a cost of Rs 480 crore and is expected to be completed by September next year.