TheCISF is scheduled to take over on August 4 the security of the Leh airport, thecountry's highest-altitude commercial aerodrome in the newly created UnionTerritory of Ladakh, officials said.

Acontingent of about 100 CISF personnel will provide round-the-clock, armedsecurity at the strategically important airport, located at 3,256 metres abovesea level, they said.

TheKushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, operated by the Airports Authority of India(AAI), will be the 64th civil airport to be brought under the cover of theCentral Industrial Security Force (CISF). It is guarded by the local police atpresent.

 Ladakh became a UT on October 31 last yearafter the central government revoked the special status given to the erstwhilestate of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into UTs.

TheCISF, the 1.62 lakh personnel strong paramilitary designated as the nationalcivil aviation security force, will take over the Leh airport security after aformal induction ceremony scheduled for August 4, officials said.

CISFDirector General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan and senior officials of the AAI and LadakhUT will be present during the event, they said.

 The force has a special aviation securitygroup (ASG) to provide counter-terror cover to the airports and it has takenover such passenger facilities at Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) inFebruary and March respectively.

AirIndia, Vistara, GoAir and SpiceJet operate commercial passenger flights betweenLeh and Delhi.

A newpassenger terminal at the airport is being built at a cost of Rs 480 crore andis expected to be completed by September next year.

Handoverof the three strategically important and sensitive airports of Srinagar, Jammuand Leh to the CISF was expedited after Jammu and Kashmir Police officerDavinder Singh was arrested from Srinagar in January while he was allegedlyferrying three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists to Chandigarh.

TheCISF contingent at the Leh airport will provide 24x7 armed cover to thefacility and will check passengers while approaching the facility, at thetermial gates followed by comprehensive checks and body frisking ahead ofboarding a flight.

Thetroops will be armed with assault rifles like the AK series and the INSAS, andwill man the airport perimeter from watch towers erected at vantage positions.

TheUnion government has said that CISF will be the only civil airports guardingforce and all such facilities in the country will be gradually brought underits command to bolster aviation security and tighten anti-terror andanti-hijack protocols.