12 hours too long, CISF at IGI to go back to 8-hour shifts

The Central Industrial Security Force has cut the duty time of its officials manning the Delhi and Mumbai airports to eight hours, two months after HT reported about the inhuman 12-hour shifts of the security personnel.

The Central Industrial Security Force has cut the duty time of its officials manning the Delhi and Mumbai airports to eight hours, two months after HT reported about the inhuman 12-hour shifts of the security personnel.

On June 30, HT reported that CISF personnel were working for 15-18 hours daily – including time taken to commute and pre-duty drills – because of 8am-8pm shifts. Authorities had even removed chairs from the airports, forcing the security staff to stand all day.

Following the report, sources said the ministry of home affairs and the National Human Rights Commission asked the CISG to rework the shift duration since it wasn’t humanly possible to remain attentive at sensitive installations for 12 hours at a stretch.

“Though we used to give a days’ rest after the 12-hour shift, we reworked it following objections. The staff is now divided into three groups and will come for eight hours,“ said a senior CISF official. Delhi and Mumbai were the only places with 12-hour shifts, he claimed.

The shifts have now been divided in three parts -- 9 pm to 5 am, 5 am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 9 pm. “It has helped that we have more number of personnel than before,” the official said.

There will, however, be no provision for seating to ensure the staff doesn’t remain static, the official added. “We change their duties after two hours so that they don’t get tired,” he said.