Chavan demands Rs 500 cr to upgrade force

MUMBAI: While pointing out that the Union home ministry is yet to release the full allocation sanctioned to Maharashtra for the modernisation of police force, chief minister Ashok Chavan on Monday demanded Rs 500 crore assistance from the Centre to upgrade the state���s security apparatus.

He was speaking at the chief ministers��� meeting on internal security convened by the prime minister in Delhi. According to him, the state had received Rs 97.5 crore less than the sanctioned amount.

The Centre had released Rs 376.44 crore against the sanctioned allocation of Rs 473.95 crore, the chief minister said. Mr Chavan also told the meet that Maharashtra had taken several measures to deal with terrorism in the wake of the 26/11 terror attack.

The state had acted upon several recommendations made by the Ram Pradhan committee, which was formed to probe into the lapses that led to the terror strike, and to strengthen its intelligence, security, and administrative apparatus, Mr Chavan said.

The state has put in place a system for regular security audits of important installations like religious places, five star hotels, and major public places, he said. Mr Chavan also informed that the state had created Force One on the lines of the elite National Security Guards (NSG) and Quick Response Teams (QRT) in Mumbai and other major cities.

In view of threat to Mumbai from the coastal line, the state government has fast-tracked a scheme to issue identity cards to the fishermen, Mr Chavan said. The chief minister also claimed standardisation and transparency in the purchase of security-related equipment.

Maharashtra had also created a state-of-the-art Intelligence Academy and a special security force on the lines of the CISF. The chief minister also spoke about measures being taken to contain the Naxal menace in the state. Among the important measure were shifting the headquarters of the anti-naxal operations to Gadchiroli, creation of a new range to fight Naxals, and bifurcation of the Gadchiroli district to create an additional police district, Mr Chavan said.