Immigration wing gets a makeover

Immigration wing gets a makeover
Anil Kumar M | TNN

Bangalore: The immigration wing of the police at Bengaluru International Airport will have more personnel than the current airport as well as a new chief.
Once the airport starts operations on March 30, a DCP-rank officer designated as Foreign Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) will independently head the immigration wing. Currently, the wing comes directly under the Bangalore city police commissioner, also known as Foreign Registration Officer (FRO), but is technically monitored by a DCP-rank officer. “The department sent the proposal to the government. We hope it will be approved before the new airport opens,’’ police sources told The Times of India. The FRRO system is operational in the international airports at New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
In a move to augment immigration staff, the department moved a proposal asking the government to sanction total personnel strength of 257. This includes one DCP, three ACPs, 12 PIs, 124 PSIs, nine ASIs, 42 HC/AHCs and 66 PCs. The one at HAL airport has a staff strength of 144 personnel with one ACP, six PIs, 30 PSIs, 10 ASIs, 17 HCs, 65 PCs and 27 AHCs.
The police have expressed concern over provision of housing quarters by BIAL to them for working round the clock. “We don’t need any special facilities now as HAL airport is in the heart of the city. However, as the new airport is 30 km away, we need some housing facilities like the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),’’ sources said.
The new airport has state-of-the-art infrastructure and brand-new facilities. It has 32 immigration counters, 18 at the departure terminals and an equal number at arrivals. “Space allocation at all processing points matches IATA standards even during peak-hour occupancy,’’ a BIAL representative said.
The space provided in front of immigration counters to accommodate passenger queues is based on peak-hour movement and said to exceed current requirement. “This space can accommodate future growth as well. Space has also been earmarked for detention rooms (for deportees and inadmissible passengers),’’ authorities said.
Immigration offices are equipped with LAN ports, cabling and power points based on requirements.