CISF to Roll Out Sector-Based Security Reorganisation from November 1, MHA Approves
New Delhi, October 18, 2026: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will undergo a major restructuring of its administrative and operational command system from November 1, 2026, in a move approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The overhaul will replace the force’s long-standing territorial supervision model with a domain-based structure designed to align command with specific sectors of India’s critical infrastructure.
Under the new arrangement, installations belonging to the same strategic or economic sector will be placed under a common command even if they are spread across different parts of the country. CISF officials said the change is intended to improve specialised security management, build sector-specific expertise, standardise operating procedures and strengthen coordination with user ministries, departments and installation managements.
How the new sector structure will work
The reorganisation redesignates several of the CISF’s existing territorial sectors into specialised functional commands. The National Capital Region Sector will be renamed the Government Building Museums and Monuments and Mass Rapid Transit System (GBMM & MRTS) Sector, with headquarters in New Delhi. It will cover government buildings, museums, historical monuments and mass rapid transit systems, including the Delhi Metro.
The North Sector, currently based in New Delhi, will be converted into the Power-I Sector, while the North Eastern Sector-II in Kolkata will become the Power-II Sector. The Eastern Sector in Ranchi will be redesignated as the Coal Sector, and the Central Sector in Bhilai will become the Steel Sector. The North Eastern Sector in Guwahati will be transformed into the Petroleum and Natural Gas Sector.
In the western and southern coastal regions, the Western Sector in Mumbai will become the West Coast Port Sector and the South Sector in Chennai will become the East Coast Port Sector. The existing Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space (DAE & DoS) Sector in Bengaluru, along with Airport Sector-I in New Delhi and Airport Sector-II in Bengaluru, will continue under their current specialised functional arrangements.
Why the CISF is changing its command model
A senior CISF officer said each energy and strategic sector comes with distinct operating processes, infrastructure profiles, hazard patterns and security vulnerabilities. Bringing related installations under unified commands is expected to allow more focused supervision, sector-specific training, standard operating procedures tailored to particular threats, better deployment of specialised personnel and closer coordination with client organisations.
The force said the changes are meant to ensure that India’s strategic and economic assets are guarded by a specialised security architecture built around the needs of each sector, while also improving accountability and consistency in security practices. The CISF said the new structure draws on its experience with functional commands developed over the past 25 years, particularly in aviation security and in establishments under the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space.
Port security gets a dedicated focus
The most notable changes include the creation of separate coastal commands for port security. The West Coast Port Sector in Mumbai and the East Coast Port Sector in Chennai are expected to give the CISF a more specialised framework for safeguarding seaports, an area that has become increasingly important in the force’s mandate.
India has around 250 large and small seaports. The CISF currently protects 13 major ports, including Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra and Mundra Port in Gujarat. Last year, the Centre designated the CISF as the nodal seaports security force after recognising it as a Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. The new port-specific sectors are expected to help the force develop deeper expertise in port security, standardise procedures and improve coordination with port authorities.
Expanding responsibilities beyond industrial security
The restructuring comes at a time when the CISF’s role is widening beyond its traditional industrial security remit. The force has been assigned security duties at high-security correctional facilities in Jammu and Kashmir and has been named the nodal agency for aerial security of critical infrastructure. At the same time, it is expanding its capabilities in cybersecurity, drone defence and anti-drone systems through specialised training and partnerships with premier institutions.
Established in 1969 and headquartered in New Delhi, the CISF protects a wide range of critical installations across the country, including airports, seaports, atomic energy and space facilities, power plants, steel plants, coal mines, petroleum and natural gas installations, government buildings, monuments and mass transit systems. The MHA-approved restructuring will come into effect on November 1, 2026.
