Keeping terror infra intact is like riding a tiger: Home Min

Hyderabad, March 6 (PTI) Pakistan must realise that
keeping terror infrastructure intact is like riding a tiger
and should take concrete steps to end the scourge, Indian Home
Minister P Chidambaram said here Friday.

"They have to dismantle the terror infrastructure. It
is not enough to plan one or two measures. The entire
terrorist infrastructure must be dismantled," he told
reporters here.

"If the terror infrastructure remains intact, it is
like riding a tiger. You know what happens to somebody who
rides a tiger. They have to dismantle terror infrastructure
and declare zero tolerance to any kind of terrorist activity,"
he said.

On the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team,
Chidambaram said "We feel sorry. We condemn it. Even if it was
on Pakistani players we would have condemned it".

Replying to a query on the IPL schedules, he said some
re-scheduling of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches
is "unavoidable" as schedules of general elections and the
cricket tournament are "overlapping completely".

"The IPL schedule and election schedule virtually
overlap each other. I don't blame the IPL. When they announced
the schedule, they did know the election schedule. When the EC
announced its schedule, naturally they did not take note of
it. But I have to take note of the fact that the two schedules
are completely overlapping," he said.

"I did not say that IPL should be postponed. I am
trying to help them and will help IPL hold the matches. Some
rescheduling seems unavoidable," Chidambaram said.

The second edition of the high-profile tournament has
come under a cloud of uncertainty in the wake of the deadly
terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore and the general
elections in the country which coincide with the league that
starts April 10.

The Home Minister, however, said, India is safe and
having cricket matches here would not be a problem.

"I want cricket to be played in India. Cricket is safe
and the players are safe in India," he said.

Chidambaram was talking to reporters after reviewing
the security situation in the state with Chief Minister Y S
Rajasekhara Reddy, Home Minister K Jana Reddy and top
officials of the state government.

The meeting is a follow-up to the Chief Ministers'
conference held in New Delhi in January this year.

The state government has done remarkably well in
dealing with Maoists problem as only one major incident
happened in recent times.

The elite 'greyhounds' anti-Naxal force has been a
success story, Chidambaram said.

There have, however, been a couple of terror attacks
including on Gokul Chat Bhandar and Lumbini Park, he said.

The probe into the Lumbini Park attack is nearing
completion and chargesheet will be filed soon, he said.

Chidambaram said the state was forming a 256-strong
commando force on the lines of National Security Guards (NSG).

"They will be trained by the NSG and will be as effective
as the NSG," he adding, the process of setting up the proposed
NSG hub in Hyderabad is also underway.

"I have discussed the matter with the Chief Minister.
The deadline for establishing the hub and making it
operational is the end of June," he said.

Intelligence machinery in the state has been strengthened
with the Central Intelligence Bureau's (IB) office in
Hyderabad and the state government's intelligence agencies
working round the clock, he said.

Stressing the importance of improving urban policing,
the Home Minister said, "Urban areas face graver threats.
Urban policing will have to sharply improve. There is nothing
as business as usual anymore".

On the coastal security front, Chidambaram suggested
that the Andhra Pradesh government to adopt the Kerala model
of providing mobile phones to fishermen in coastal areas.

"If they (fishermen) see suspicious activities or person
in the sea, they can inform the local police," he said. PTI
SJR
DEP
NNNN