ITBP hands over 2,000 PPE kits, masks to CISF Delhi metro unit

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Wednesday handed over 2,000 personal protective equipment kits and masks to the Delhi Metro unit of the CISF for protection against COVID-19, officials said.

The ITBP has set up a special facility at its camp at Saboli in Haryana's Sonipat district to prepare fabricated personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks for the use of its troops and for other organisations battling the pandemic on ground.

These protection gears are meant for frontline workers of police, paramilitary forces and healthcare workers and not for doctors who treat the COVID-19 affected patients.

"Over 1,000 PPEs and an equal amount of triple-layer face masks were handed over to the CISF metro rail unit today," an ITBP spokesperson said.

"The PPEs and masks will enable the CISF to be prepared as and when they are deployed for Delhi Metro protection duties," he said.

The ITBP, with about 90,000 personnel in its ranks, is primarily tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

The Delhi Metro unit of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is the largest deployment of the paramilitary in a single establishment across the country.

About 12,000 women and men personnel of the CISF guard the Delhi Metro that has over 160 operational stations across the national capital region comprising Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad.

These PPE KITS and masks will be used by personnel who frisk metro passengers and their baggage while some others deployed at vantage security positions in the station area with arms will also be donning them, a senior official said.

The metro services have been suspended since the nationwide lockdown was imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The CISF is also preparing a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that will be deployed once the Delhi Metro decides to restart operations post the end of the lockdown, which began on March 25.

The force is mulling to deploy temperature scanners, usage of 'Aarogya Setu' app (application) and contactless frisking in select cases while allowing passengers to travel in the rapid rail network.

The about 1.62 lakh personnel string force is the national civil aviation security force guarding 63 airports and protecting other vital infrastructure in the nuclear and aerospace domain.