The Kollam port will be declared as designated immigration check-post (ICP) after the infrastructure and manpower requirements are fulfilled by the State agencies, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai has said in the Lok Sabha.
While answering a query raised by N.K. Premachandran, MP, recently on the steps initiated for establishing the ICP at the Kollam port, Mr. Rai said the declaration of an ICP as an authorised one is a continuous process and the Government of India considers immigration facilities at those ports which fulfil the requirement of the ICP as per the norms in consultation with the stakeholders concerned.
After carrying out an assessment of the facilities, the State agencies were notified about the details of infrastructure yet to be provided. While the present security at the Kollam port needs to be strengthened to handle passenger and cruise vessels, the State government is yet to consider a proposal to hand over the security to the State Industrial Security Force (SISF), he said.
“Dedicated security agencies such as the State police/CISF/SISF need to be positioned at the Kollam seaport to safeguard the port property as well as to ensure security and access control whenever international operations are commenced,” he said.
Currently, the number of counters required is four each at arrival and departure sections, which is expected to increase proportionately depending on the capacity of ships. While the Facilitation Centre has not yet been handed over by the Kerala Maritime Board (KMB) to the regulatory agencies, the Kollam port authorities have installed four CCTV cameras at the port, but five more cameras are needed to cover the entire premises.
At present, there is only one gate for entry or exit of passengers, crew and staff of steamer agents to the Kollam port premises, while additional gates are required from the security point of view. Currently, two unarmed security personnel, including one port staff and one outsourced, are taking care of the security of the port premises situated in a stretch of 11 acres of land and the refurbishing work of concertina wire above the perimeter wall is in progress.
The Union Minister said it is also mandatory for the port authorities to provide residential accommodation at a central/common location to the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) either by constructing the same or taking accommodation on lease.
Meanwhile, Kollam port officer Captain Hari Achuta Warrier said that all the facilities mandated by the Ministry of Home Affairs for declaring the port as an ICP have been set up at the Facilitation Centre. He said the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) has been informed about the same and all other reports are baseless. “Eight CCTV cameras have been set up for surveillance at the port. Once the Kollam port obtains ICP status, the security will be handed over to the SISF. This information was conveyed to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Director General of Shipping through a letter on June 12,” he said.
