Concerned over “large sums” of money being transported through the air route to poll-bound States, the Election Commission has issued fresh guidelines to the Civil Aviation Ministry to “capture and preserve” CCTV footage of such interceptions made at airports.

The EC, after a recent meeting with the Civil Aviation Secretary and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), also issued orders to install additional CCTV cameras in all commercial airports at sections where cash or gold is detected, counted or seized and also in the interrogation chambers of law enforcement agencies including the I-T Department.

According to sources, the EC has framed the new set of guidelines after two Rajya Sabha MPs were held in Patna while travelling with huge amount of money during last year's Bihar Assembly polls, and recently MPs at IGI Airport here were also held doing the same.

“Such recording of CCTV shall be preserved with the airport operator or authority and when required, be made available to the Election Commission or Chief Election Officer,” the EC's new instructions to check illegal cash and black money in the electoral process said.

The EC also asked CISF personnel guarding counters at airports and local police to immediately inform the Income Tax department upon detecting any passengers carrying more than Rs 10 lakh cash or gold over 1 kg.

“The ATC shall inform the flight plan of all private aircraft helicopters landing in the poll bound States to the CEO, 24 hours in advance,” the EC order said.

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