IB to take over Emigration at Kerala airports

The Central Intelligence Bureau will take over the control of Emigration procedures at the Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram international airports of Kerala, most probably from April.

The move to hand over the control of Emigration wings of these airports, being manned by personnel from the Intelligence wing of the State police, was adopted after serious allegations had come up against the Kerala Police. Allegations had come up to the effect that the officials had been clearing even criminals through Emigration.

The decision to entrust the task of manning the Emigration counters at these airports to the IB was taken as per the proposals of a high-level panel from the Department of Home, which had held inspections at the airports last year in the context of the allegations.

Earlier, there were reports that the IB might take up the charge in the first week of this month but this did not happen reportedly due to communication gaps between the State and Central Home departments. Three notifications had to be issued prior to such a handover but only the preliminary notification had been issued so far, it is said.

It is also said that the Union Home Department had asked its Kerala counterpart to depute efficient and honest officials to help the IB in the job. The IB had also prepared a list of such officials but the Kerala Home Department reportedly had not handed them over in time.

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