The Hindu : New Delhi News : New force to aid tourists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 08, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

New force to aid tourists

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, APRIL 7. Tourist facilitation at Indira Gandhi International Airport here will don a more professional look from this Friday morning with the launch of the Tourist Security Squad of the Central Industrial Security Force. Apart from providing security to tourists, the Squad would inform them about various facilities, protect tourists from touts and seek to prevent ugly incidents such as the one in which a passenger was roughed up by some CISF personnel earlier this week.

The Squad will take up work from 5 a.m. on April 8. With six persons in each shift, it would spread out in the terminal buildings and assist tourists in knowing the rules, regulation and procedures of the airport. Besides, the personnel -- who would be wearing a dark blue jacket with "Tourist Security" embroidered on it with golden threads -- would also help guide the tourists about various facilities on offer at the airport.

But what would primarily distinguish the Squad from the rest of the force at the airport is that their job will be primarily facilitation of tourists and guiding them so that they do not face any difficulty. "Though these personnel will also be carrying pistols and walkie-talkie sets, their main job would be to look after the wellbeing of the tourists and to protect and guide them in the terminal building," said a senior officer.

For the purpose, all these personnel have been trained for a week in "tourist facilitation" by a senior lady officer of CISF, who had herself received training on the subject at an airlines academy in Hyderabad. Also, to ensure that these personnel live up to the expectations of the tourists, only graduates who are fluent in conversing in English, have been drawn for the job. Well-versed in the location of various airlines and Airports Authority of India offices besides facilities such as duty free counters, taxi counter and ITDC counters among others, they would escort the tourists and ensure that there is no harassment to them whatsoever.

An important role of the Squad would be to safeguard the tourists from the numerous touts who throng the airport buildings and premises. So, these personnel would also be keeping an eye on the activities of licensed loaders, trolley operators, vendors and public call office operators working at the airport since many of them have been caught in the recent past while cheating on passengers.

A new concept, the introduction of Tourist Security Squad at the airport is also expected to boost the image of the country by providing tourists a hassle-free and safe journey.

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