In a first, over 60 armed CISF commandos have been deployed to provide anti-terror security cover to a five-star luxury hotel in Mumbai, part of the CSIA airport terminal, which gives a sweeping view of the airport runway.
The hotel -- Taj Santacruz -- is located within the domestic terminal of the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) and a number of rooms of the facility face the runway.
PTI had first reported in March last year that a squad of about 150 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandos was deployed to secure the hotel on a temporary basis. It has now been made permanent.
"A full contingent of over 60 commando-trained CISF personnel took charge of hotel security on June 2. The squad will be part of the deployment that guards the CSIA," a senior official said.
The cost of the CISF deployment will be borne by the GVK group that operates the CSIA, he said.
The official said the vehicle-borne commandos, armed with assault weapons, will secure the hotel area against any terror bid that may occur or emanate from the hotel.
The airports' security force of the country, guarding 59 civil facilities at present, will also provide a 24X7 anti-sabotage cover to the facility with the deployment of bomb disposal and sniffer dogs units.
The official website of the hotel boasts of having "airport runway, city and pool facing rooms."
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