CISF To Restructure Field Formations From November 1, Create West & East Coast Port Sectors To Strengthen Security At India's Seaports

New Delhi: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has undertaken a major reorganisation of its country-wide field formations beginning November 1, with the creation of two new sectors on the west and the east coast to look after the security of the country's 250 large and small sea ports, officials said on Sunday.

The aim of the exercise is to "align" the operational and administrative control structure of the paramilitary with the specific security requirements of India's strategic, energy security and economic sectors like power, coal, steel, petroleum and natural gas, government buildings, museums, monuments, seaports and apart from mass rapid transit systems like the Delhi Metro.

At present, the 1969-raised force headquartered in Delhi has organised its field administrative bases and its 2.70 lakh manpower on the basis of territorial jurisdiction, where the security deployment of the force was mixed, for example, a particular office used to handle both power and coal sector units.

CISF units guarding the space, atomic energy and airports were an exception and are already under a specific command.

"It was felt that each such energy and strategic sector had its distinct operational processes, infrastructure, potential hazards and security vulnerabilities and hence should be clubbed together and placed under one jurisdiction irrespective of their geographical location," a senior CISF officer told PTI.

He added that this was a "timely reform" which will get operational from November 1 following concurrence from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

"The functional reorganisation will improve operational oversight, promote sector-specific expertise, ensure greater uniformity in security practices and strengthen coordination with the ministries concerned, departments and installation managements," he said.

It is in this direction that the forces' Western Sector headquartered in Mumbai and the Southern Sector based in Chennai have been redesignated as the West Coast Port Sector and the East Coast Port Sector respectively, the officer added.

The move comes in the backdrop of the Centre designating the CISF as the nodal seaports security force of the country last year following its recognition as the Recognised Security Organisation (RSO).

There are about 250 large and small seaports in the country, and the force currently guards 13 big ones, including JNPT in Maharashtra and Mundra in Gujarat.

"For the nation, this reorganisation ensures that India's strategic and economic assets are guarded by a highly specialised, sector-specific security apparatus," the CISF said in a statement. 

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