The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Kolkata airport’s security check-in counters, would earlier ask passengers to put objectionable items on the tray before they were scanned. Now, they name specific items like knives and lighters to be put on the tray.
The move, CISF officials say, is saving time and creating shorter passenger queues. CISF personnel from other states deployed at Kolkata airport are being trained in Bengali so that they can communicate with passengers, which would also help reduce the waiting time and make the security clearance faster.
“We are considering how fast we can check the hand baggage. The person at the point where passengers are keeping the bags is announcing the specific SRIs (security restricted items) that passengers should remove from the bags and keep on the trays. Removing these items after the screening slows down the process,” said Ajay Kumar, deputy inspector general, CISF in charge of Calcutta airport. The CISF is responsible for the airport’s security.
“The queue has been reduced significantly now because of the small changes that have been introduced.” “I have trained the boys who are checking the tickets for things they have to see so that there is faster clearance. Training has been on what to look for in the machines (during screening),” he said.
Kumar was speaking on the sidelines of the announcement of a CISF cyclothon from March 7. Kumar said many in the force are from different parts of the country. “Some of them are being trained in Bengali so that they can communicate with the people.” Small sentences in Bengali, like to keep the boarding pass in their hands, and put the electronic or metal items in the tray are some examples of what they are being taught. Serpentine queues at the security check have been a long-standing problem of the Calcutta airport.
Debashis Chakraborty, a frequent flyer, said he has to keep at least 45 minutes in hand for security clearance when travelling at peak hours. “When I am travelling between 7am and noon, I know it will take me at least 45 minutes to get the security clearance,” said Chakraborty, who usually travels once a week.
Another frequent traveller to Mumbai said it takes him about 30 to 40 minutes for the security check. “It’s only when I am travelling after 8pm that the waiting time is significantly reduced,” he said.
Another challenge is passengers carrying more than the specified baggage with them, which extends the waiting period. The rule is one passenger is allowed to carry one piece of cabin baggage. “However, several passengers often carry more than one piece of cabin baggage, and we have to explain to them that they are not allowed to do so. This used to take a lot of time,” said Kumar. “We have requested all airline operators to implement the one-person-one-cabin baggage rule. This way, the processing time has become faster.”
There are 2,200 CISF officials posted at Calcutta airport, a senior official said. “The issue is not manpower but how you can manage your resources,” said an official.
To mark the 56th CISF Day, the security force will organise a CISF Coastal Cyclothon from March 7 to April 1. Altogether, 125 cyclists will cover 6,553km along the coast. It will start simultaneously from Lakhpat in Gujarat and Bakkhali in Bengal and culminate at Swami Vivekananda Memorial in Kanyakumari.
“We want to connect with the people,” said Shikhar Sahai, inspector general, CISF, North East Sector II, (Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands). Kumar Pratap Singh, deputy inspector general, North East Sector II, was also present at the programme.
