The government may revise the civil aviation ministry’s order that the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force have to undergo security checks at airports.
NEW DELHI: IThe government may revise the civil aviation ministry’s order that the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force have to undergo security checks at airports.
Defence ministry officials told DNA that order, which came to the attention of the defence ministry top brass only on Wednesday, was passed sometime in early 2006.
Most of the defence top brass of today, including the minister, came into their positions only in recent months. “It was lying buried in some file. Only when the answer to the question in parliament was prepared did we realise it exists,” says a senior official.
He hinted the three service chiefs could soon get relief because at a meeting on Wednesday itself Defence minister AK Antony instructed the officials to take up the matter with the civil aviation ministry.
The fact that the privileges airport authorities extend to cabinet ministers, ministers of state, several senior officials, VIPs including the husband of Priyanka Gandhi among others, was missing for the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force has upset many in the military.
In reality, sources say, the order has had “no major impact” on the service chiefs because every time they go out of India or return they are accompanied by protocol officers from the military and are not put through any security checks. But the fact that such an order was on file has upset military circles.
“It is not what the order translates into but the intention and the respect they show to the service chiefs,” says a senior Navy officer. He asked if the chiefs of intelligence agencies, and many secretaries would ever be put through security checks.
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