After remaining headless for close to three years, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is set to get a full-time chief soon. The BCAS is India’s aviation security regulator which lays down security guidelines for airlines and airports in the country and audits their implementation by government agencies. The post of BCAS head – the Commissioner of Security, Civil Aviation – has been lying vacant since November 2012 following the retirement of the then chief GS Malhi.
Sources said while the Ministry of Home Affairs was in favour of an IPS officer heading BCAS, the aviation ministry wanted the eligibility criteria changed to allow any additional secretary-ranked bureaucrat or police officer having just three years security-related experience to apply for the post. “The government has taken a decision that the post of BCAS chief would be headed by an officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS). It would be an Additional DG-rank post,” an aviation ministry official said. “While BCAS comes under the aviation ministry, aviation security is a very technical and sensitive job and should remain with the police,” said another official. “A panel of three officers would be formed out of which one would be selected,” he added.
