Notwithstanding reports about 17 per cent shortage of staff at the emigration wing here, the State home department is going ahead with a plan to transfer 23 police personnel deployed at the emigration wing of the Cochin International Airport Limited to their parent units.
Emigration officials at the airport here have confirmed the receipt of an order in this direction from the State home department. The move assumes significance in the wake of the recent arrests of a couple of policemen at the emigration wing here for their alleged involvement in gold smuggling.
“The proposal is to transfer those officials who have completed their deputation period in December last and are now operating on a work arrangement,” officials said, while insisting that the step had nothing to do with the recent arrest of two policemen.
However, no steps have been made so far to replace the outgoing officials. The total staff strength at the emigration wing here is around 220 officials, who operate in four shifts.
In their opinion, the step is likely to impact operation of the emigration wing here in the long run as CIAL is witnessing a sharp rise in the flow of international passengers. “Following the re-routing of some major international flights from Kozhikode to Kochi, a batch of 12 officials from Kozhikode international airport had earlier joined the emigration wing here. However, the existing staff strength will not be sufficient to clear the heavy rush and on several occasions, the officials are made to work in extra shifts and are forced to limit the number of days of leave,” they added.
With the runway re-carpeting works, four major airlines in the Gulf-sector have shifted the operations of their wide bodied/mid-size aircraft to the Kochi airport. In total, they have added about 58 aircraft movements a week (29 landings and 29 take offs) to the existing schedule of 533 operations and the number of average daily passenger movement in the international sector has increased by 2,200 from May 15.
Meanwhile, sources pointed out that the officials being transferred were those deployed at the administrative office of the police superintendent and as ministerial staff. “These are the officers who have been rendered jobless since the Bureau of Immigration took over the emigration department,” they held.
