Bangalore gets Army special forces unit

Ignored in the initial list of locations for the four regional NSG hubs,Bangalore on Friday got an equivalent security cover in the form of a special forces unit of the Army.....

Ignored in the initial list of locations for the four regional NSG hubs,Bangalore on Friday got an equivalent security cover in the form of a special forces unit of the Army which will counter any terrorist threats in the city and adjoining regions.

Home Minister P Chidambaram,who was visiting the city,said the move was in conformity with the decision taken by Centre to give a specialised anti-terrorist force to Bangalore.

The Special Forces Unit,currently located at 106 Territorial Army Battalion in Benson town,has 100 well-trained personnel in all ranks who are ready to be deployed in any situation. The strength of the unit will be increased to 600 within a short time and eventually be moved to a new location in Hebbal,the Home Minister said.

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He said two batches of 250 Army personnel would join the special forces unit within a month.

I wish to assure the people of Karnataka,especially the people of Bengaluru,that the Government of India has fulfilled its promise to locate a specialised,well-trained and well-equipped counter terrorist force to meet any terrorist threat, Chidambaram said.

Following the terrorist attack in Mumbai in November last year,the Government had decided to have regional NSG centres to ensure a quicker reaction time to thwart any such threat in the future. Accordingly,Kolkata,Chennai,Mumbai and Hyderabad were chosen as the four locations where regional hubs could be set up. A number of other cities,including Bangalore,had also staked claim for these hubs.

Earlier,Chidambaram held a security review of Bangalore with senior officials in the absence of the political leadership of the state. Both Chief Minister B Yeddyurappa and Home Minister V S Acharya stayed away from the meeting which was attended by senior defence personnel as well.