The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to conduct a survey of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro-1 corridor based on inputs of potential security threats received by the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Additionally, the MHA has asked for the deployment of the CISF personnel in the metro corridor to prevent any danger.
Following which, the CISF wrote to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to conduct the survey of the entire metro corridor.
The Mumbai Metro-1 corridor is the eighth densest Metro corridor in the world and is the first Metro corridor constructed on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model wherein Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), MMRDA and French company Veolia own 69 per cent, 26 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.
“We have written to the MMRDA for the third time in February 2018 to nominate a member for the survey but MMRDA has not responded. It should respond to us because the MHA has received inputs from IB which have identified 87 locations in India where there are potential security threats and CISF should be deployed there,” said an anonymous source associated with the CISF. While the CISF is directly under the MHA and currently guards various vital infrastructure projects in India including the Delhi Metro, the Mumbai Metro is guarded by 690 personnel of the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF). A senior MMRDA official said, “There is no such requirement and the expense on the security of Metro-1 is already very high. We are spending Rs 1.50 crore monthly on security currently and if CISF guards are deployed we will also have to provide them with quarters for accommodation which would become a very costly affair for us.”
