Maharashtra forms 66-member security panel

FOLLOWING the terror attacks, the Maharashtra Government has formed a mega-committee, the State Security Council, of 66 members to review security matters. The committee, to be headed by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, is a please-all panel that includes ministers, leaders of the Opposition, state government officials, journalists, defence officials, representatives of trade and business organisations and hotels.

According to a government resolution, the panel includes nine ministers, the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, mayors of Mumbai and Thane, the Chief Secretary and five senior IAS officials, the director general of police, police commissioners of Mumbai and Thane, municipal commissioners of Mumbai and Thane, the director general of shipping, chairpersons of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru ports, chief of the Mumbai international airport, a representative of the Airports Authority of India, CEO of the Maharashtra Maritime Board, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa area, general managers of the central and western railways, CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange and director, IIT.

Besides, people from various walks of life have been accommodated. They include Deepak Parekh HDFC, Krishna Kumar Hotel Taj Group, Vivek Nair Hotel Leela, Narendra Jadhav V-C, Pune University, Dr Jabbar Patel film director, Jaideep Bose editor, The Times of India, Kumar Ketkar editor, Loksatta and the sheriff of Mumbai.

8220;The council will review the security situation periodically and make recommendations to the state Government and private organisations,8221; a senior official said. 8220;It will suggest plans of encouraging participation of people in raising the level of alertness.8221; He said the panel would suggest measures to promote patriotism and control criminal activities like cyber crime, counterfeiting of currency notes, smuggling and hijacking. The panel would also work out security plans for malls, multiplexes, residential complexes, shrines, financial institutions, schools, colleges and hospitals.