The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), under its new Director General O.P. Singh, who took over the helm of the agency less than two months back, has become the latest entrant into Twitter, months after its “cousins” BSF, ITBP and CRPF debuted on Twitter.
Apart from helping the common people who approach the agency through Twitter, the CISF, which has the maximum number of interface with the common people when compared to other central forces, plans to use Twitter to showcase the work it has been doing.
“Despite doing the same work, we are sometimes not given the same importance by the public or the babus nor is our work appreciated or acknowledged. Unlike the other central security forces, we have to do the maximum interface with the public, face their anger when they are frisked or asked to stand in a queue, which our people accept with a smile. The intention behind coming on Twitter is to facilitate a two way communication, one where we listen and act to the grievances of the common man and also give them the opportunity to see the kind of work we do,” an official with the agency said.
Agency official said that O.P. Singh, once he assumed the position of the DG, asked his colleagues to make an account on Twitter.
“Initially we had some reservations, as unlike the other central forces who do not deal with the public, we have the most number of public interface and we were concerned that people might misuse our presence on Twitter but the DG asked us to go ahead,” the official commented.
The CISF, whose job includes guarding the Delhi Metro and the airports, has this year recovered unattended cash worth Rs 61 lakh, cheques worth Rs 37 lakh, 95 laptops, 304 mobiles belonging to metro commuters that was handed over to the station in charge.
“Many times, our personnel go beyond their call of duty to return misplaced and forgotten goods and cash to the commuters. There have been several instances where our people have found cash and rushed to the other platform to board another metro after learning that the person who forgot it had got down at previous station and while he is rushing towards the commuter, he has called up his colleagues at the station informing him about the commuter so that he can be apprised of the fact that he has forgotten cash. No one sees this, no one reads about these kind of things,” the official commented.
According to another agency official, CISF, unlike the other forces, does not have the power or authority to purchase equipments themselves. “We have to depend on the agency which are using us for purchasing the equipments. For example, metro station comes under the DMRC, and many times the x-ray scanner provided by them malfunctions and then a long queue starts forming up and commuters start getting angry at our personnel but he cannot let them come inside the station without frisking them and checking their baggage manually which he does while ignoring the angry responses. That is a part and parcel of our job,” the official said.