Six months post 26/11, Maha Govt's measures taking shape

Mumbai, May 24 (PTI) Six months after the Mumbai attacks,
the anti-terror measures initiated by the Government of
India's western state Maharashtra are taking shape with the
Force One Battalion expecting to be ready for action later
this year, the state Home Department said.

The state government has prepared a blueprint to gear up
civic services like hospitals, fire brigade, ambulance and
blood banks to deal with any contingency.

"The Battalion would be operational by the first week of
October," a senior Home Department official said.

The Force One commando are undergoing rigorous training
to combat terrorism at the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF)
centre.

Meanwhile, the two-member committee appointed by the
state government comprising retired IAS officer R G Pradhan
and former RAW deputy chief V Balachandran, to probe the
response of the city police to the 26/11 terror attack has
completed its investigations.

The panel reviewed performance of state intelligence
machinery for its alleged failure to report terror activities,
the official said.

The government, after the attacks, had approved formation
of a battalion on the lines of National Security Guard (NSG)
to tackle any challenge posed by terrorists in Maharashtra.

The training course of Force One Battalion was prepared
in consultation with the NSG, army officers and international
training agencies.

The battalion will have 350 policemen, 100 supporting
staff, including drivers, wireless operators and personnel at
the main control room and armouries.

A committee of top police officers visited the range
police headquarters in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and
Nagpur to select men for this battalion, the official said.

After completion of their training, the battalion will
be based in Mumbai so that it can be pressed into service in
case of an emergency. The battalion will be divided into four
groups, ready to move within five minutes of an emergency
call, he added.

On the issue of compensation to victims of the 26/11
terror attacks, the state government claimed the state
machinery was efficient in distributing compensation to
victims.

Of the 166 victims, 26 were foreigners and their families
had all received the ex-gratia amount of Rs five lakh each,
the official said. The 240 injured, which included 22
foreigners, were offered Rs 50,000 as relief.

Initially, families of some foreigners did not come
forward to take the relief package, but later they accepted
it, the official said.

The Government has so far disbursed over Rs 14 crore as
ex-gratia to the families of the deceased and injured, he
added.

The government is planning to set up a State Industrial
Security Force to guard important places in the city and is
likely to introduce a Bill in this regard.

"The force would have about 20,000 personnel and would
be on the lines of Central Industrial Security Force," the
official said.

The force would be deployed at important places like
Ministries, BSE, BMC for security and frisking, the official
said.

Besides grappling with the problem of huge patient intake
in municipal hospitals, the corporation is emphasising on safe
building structures.

"Making city hospitals safe for patients during
emergencies is a top priority of the Municipal Corporation of
and efforts are on to tackle both man-made and natural
emergency conditions," a civic official said.

These include escape routes, evacuation areas,
firefighting facilities and security of patients and doctors,
in both existing and under construction buildings, the
official said.

Meanwhile, despite the terror attack touted to be the
most important poll issue for voters in South Mumbai, the
constituency witnessed poor voter turnout.

The attacks notwithstanding, the Congress-Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) combine made a clean sweep in Mumbai by
bagging all the six Lok Sabha seats. PTI VT
PMR
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