After surgical strikes, airports, ports on high alert

Central Industrial Security Force chief OP Singh briefed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the heightened security arrangements at airports, ports and other vital installations guarded by the central force.

On Thursday, as the day unfolded with the Indian Army announcing it had conducted strikes on terrorist locations, a review meeting of Coast Guards and Central Industrial Security Force was held for security at ports. Simultaneously, the Indian civil aviation ministry sounded off airlines to maintain caution, while flying over Pakistani airspace. Besides, oil refining and marketing firms decided to take a closer look at their stocks.

There is tighter monitoring of stocks at bulk terminals now. “We usually keep stocks, more so to meet defence requirements, but, in a situation like this, we monitor more closely and quickly replenish the stocks,” said an official in one of the state-owned refiners.

Though India’s late night “surgical” strikes on locations in the Pakistan territory are not akin to a full-blown war, strategic locations in states on the western border have been placed on high alert. Besides, an alert has been sounded off for all airports. An airline executive said, “There was direction from the ministry two days back to fly above a specific height when passing Karachi.” According to the circular, Indian aircraft, passing over Pakistani airspace, have been asked to maintain a minimum height of 34,000 feet.

This comes amidst media reports that the Prime Minister’s Office has sought feedback from the civil aviation ministry over consequences of suspension of Indian airspace for Pakistani airlines.

A civil aviation ministry official though said if India shuts its airspace, it is imperative Pakistan will take reciprocal measures. Flights originating from India use Pakistani airspace for flying to Gulf and the Middle East.

An airline executive said closure or avoiding the Pakistani airspace will force airlines to take a detour towards South India, which will increase flight time by more than 30 minutes. “It will cost us Rs 10 lakh more per flight,” he said. A senior IndiGo official said presently there is no restriction and there has been no change of route plans over Pakistani airspace.

During the Kargil War in the summer of 1999, Indian aircraft had stopped flying over Pakistan and were taking longer detours on their flights to and from West and the Gulf.

Airlines like SpiceJet have, in recent times, requested India to allow it to fly direct between Ahmedabad and Gulf over the Arabian Sea, instead of taking the existing circuitous route from over Pakistan to help cut costs.

Senior executives involved with operation of some of the strategic locations along the western border, however, said they were always on alert because of perceived threat from the neighbouring country, besides terrorist attacks. “We have not received any special alert from the government,” said an executive in one of the private sector refineries.