A promise kept: city gets own NSG hub

“We had promised that regional hubs would be set up in Mumbai,Chennai,Hyderabad and Kolkata,and had set a deadline of July 1. We have kept that promise and I am happy that the first hub is being operationalised in Mumbai today,and the other three hubs will be operationalised tomorrow. This should instill confidence in the public that the governments at the state and Centre are taking the matter seriously. The NSG is a specially-recruited and specially-trained counter-terror and anti-hijacking agency that has distinguished itself in several operations,and I am sure the NSG hub in Mumbai will live up to its motto,” Chidambaram said.

“Because the regional hub is in Mumbai,it does not mean that it will only serve the city. It will serve western India,and will be ready to fly anywhere depending on the need of the hour. Of course,the first responders would always be the state police.”

During the 26/11 attacks,several hours were lost before the NSG commandos and their equipment were flown into Mumbai from Manesar. NSG chief N P S Aulakh said it had become “difficult to precisely forecast the exact trajectory of futuristic terrorism.” He added,“Post 26/11,it was felt necessary to relocate the NSG at more locations in the country so as to reduce the reaction time.”

Significantly,when asked whether the state police will have to go through bureaucratic channels and get the NSG deployed through orders from the Centre,Chidambaram said,“The commander of the NSG hub will respond to a call from the state police.”

Major Siddharth Tomar will command the NSG hub in Mumbai. Top state police officials also said the NSG hub would be available for deployment just by a call from them. “We have held prior meetings on the issue,and there will be no delay in getting the NSG deployed. Senior police officers can directly contact the commander for assistance depending on the situation,” said Additional Director General of Police,Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad,K P Raghuvanshi.

Commenting on the availability of helicopters for the NSG commandos to avoid Mumbai traffic during an operation,Chidambaram said,“Under the Mega City Policing Plan,helicopters will be made available to the police in big metropolises. This is what has been done in big cities like New York and London. The NSG is also allowed to requisition any aircraft for its use.”

The Home Minister also said he will be submitting a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday,detailing the implementation of coastal security plans during June. The government has already set up a coastal command centre under the Indian Navy. Chidambaram said the 26/11 probe had not indicated that a local LeT module has been guiding the attackers as reported by sections of the media.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan also attended the raising ceremony along with state home minister Jayant Patil and top state police officers.

According to Chidambaram,the NSG hub in Chennai will be operationalised at 7 am on Wednesday,in Hyderabad at 10 am and in Kolkata at 6 pm.