Even as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is looking forward to clinch deals with at least 24 companies and business houses for providing them security services, it will have to wait for providing security to others, including major refineries, hotels and Information Technology installations, as the government is drafting its eligibility criterion.
“It’s virtually impossible for us to cater to all the companies and business houses. Hence, the government will spell out norms and regulations,” CISF authorities said as both the houses of Parliament cleared the Central Industrial Security Force (Amendment) Bill, 2009, to extend security cover to private and joint sector installations.
Home Minister P Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Bill that CISF would not be used for resolving labour and non-security problems of the companies taking the force’s cover.
Meanwhile, the central paramilitary force that works on the model of cost reimbursement and thereby not being a burden on the taxpayer, has been flooded with demands for consultancy — general security services and fire consultancy — mainly from the IT, hotel, school and the media sectors. “We are currently processing this request and conducting pre-acceptance surveys of some 24 companies after which we hope to clinch deals with most of them,’’ a senior CISF officer told Business Standard.
The force, which currently provides security cover to the government installations and public sector undertakings through its 190,000-odd personnel, is busy drawing plans for its enhanced role in the national security. The authorities are banking on their six reserve battalions (approximately 6,500 personnel) to meet the sudden spurt in demand from the private sector. Besides, the force is eagerly awaiting a fresh batch of about 8,000 security personnel, who would pass out of the CISF training academy in Hyderabad next month to augment the force.
Next year, the force will get around 14,000 men who were recruited in a special drive recently. “Our current training facilities and capacity do not permit the expansion of the force beyond this,” a source said.
Private firms seeking CISF’s consultancy services would have to pay a hefty amount compared with the earlier rates. However, the paramilitary force is offering a rebate on the combo package of “security consultancy and fire consultancy”. For example, a large company would have to pay Rs 7.5 lakh for security consultancy and Rs 3 lakh for fire consultancy. In case the same company seeks both, it would be charged Rs 9.5 lakh.