Airports owe Rs 970-cr security dues to CISF
New Delhi, Oct 8: Dues amounting to about Rs 970 crore are pending against various airports in the country in lieu of providing CISF security to them, a top official of the paramilitary force said Monday.
CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan told reporters during an interaction here that while an amount of Rs 880 crore is pending against 'joint venture' airports or the privately-run facilities, about Rs 90 crore is due against those airports which are operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Out of the Rs 880 crore amount, the maximum Rs 788 crore is pending against the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, run by the DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited), he said.
"We have communicated this to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Home Affairs as they are the expert ministries to figure out (the solution)," the DG said.
Ranjan added that any call on withdrawal of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from these airports, owing to the dues, can be taken by the two ministries as they are "authorised to take a call on that."
The CISF is tasked as the security force to guard civil airports in the country but as of now only 60 such facilities are under its cover.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
