With over 5,000 armed security guards and elite commandos, the Delhi airport is the safest

Eye On You: Cops swarm Indira Gandhi International Airport

With an average of one gun-totting cop on guard after every 150 steps, the Indira Gandhi International Airport is perhaps the most secure place in the Capital. While a high alert situation is common at the Delhi airport, this time security seems to be full proof.

Cops on duty

A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) inspector posted at the airport, wishing anonymity, said that more than 5,000 CISF personnel have been deployed at the airport. "For both the international and domestic terminals we have deployed around 5,500 men including commandos, crack force and Quick Reaction Teams (QRT)," he said.

"We have placed one armed guard after every 15 to 20 metre inside the airport compound," said another CISF inspector, requesting anonymity. The CISF commandos on guard are equipped with high calibre automatic guns and wear heavy bulletproof jackets.

Happy fliers

The passengers are the happiest with the extra security arrangements. "Security has improved manifold here. I visited the airport two months ago. But now there are more security personnel and every one of them is carrying a gun. The frisking and baggage checking too have improved," said Mohit Bindroo, a 27-year-old software engineer. He had come to board a flight to Bangalore after spending his holidays in Delhi.

Most of the passengers expressed the same view. "There is no doubt that security has increased here. Our baggages were thoroughly checked and the personnel on duty were very alert. To improve the security, they should thoroughly check the children also," said Sudipta Banerjee, a housewife, who was on her way to Ranchi after visiting Kashmir with a stopover in Delhi.

Alert in uniform

"The security here is not an eyewash. The body language of the security personnel reveals that they are well trained and alert. They are working efficiently. This place looks really safe," said Anil Riat, a senior executive with Hewitt Associates.

An airhostess working with Jet Airways agreed that security has improved inside the airport building. "The cops really seem to have become alert," she said, requesting anonymity. 

Other than the CISF, Delhi police and Delhi traffic police personnel have also been deployed at the airport to secure its periphery.

The airport administration has employed a number of private security guards to prevent chaos during peak hours. The vehicle parking lots too have been made safe with guards checking the under carriage and boot space of every car.