CISF to scan DIAL's accounts for Rs737-cr dues

Taking the face-off with the Delhi airport operator DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) to the next level, CISF on Friday said that it may soon check DIAL's accounts to find out why the Rs 737 crore owed to it has not been paid yet. Senior CISF officers say the instructions have come from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guards 59 civil airports in the country and charges a security fee in lieu of protecting these sensitive facilities against terror and sabotage threats. More than Rs 750 crore in security fee dues is pending with various airport operators.

M A Ganapathy, additional director general (airport sector), said that the force has also suggested that it would like look into the DIAL's accounts and find out exactly how much is earned through Passenger Security Fee (PSF) and the deployment charges the airport operator is obliged to pay CISF.

"That is a work in progress," the ADG said, "CISF can only take the pending dues issue up through the Civil Aviation ministry and the Home ministry, to whom it reports, since we do not have any coercive power to ensure that the payment is made."