Manmohan rules out Pota revival

ON BOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday virtually ruled out bringing back the tough Pota law to deal with terrorists but admitted there was a need for upgrading intelligence gathering and strengthening disaster management capabilities.

Faced with mounting criticism on the failure of intelligence agencies in the wake of the Mumbai blasts and terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, he said there was macro-level information that some terrorist group had infiltrated into India and that vital installations would be its target.

But, he said, it was not known that Mumbai’s suburban trains would be attacked. “It is far from true that Pota (Prevention of Terrorism Act) is the only means to deal with terrorists.

There are many other ways. We will strengthen our intelligence gathering ability and look at the security apparatus, both at the Central and state levels to do that,” Mr Singh said while interacting with reporters on board the special aircraft taking him to Russia for the G-8 summit.

Asked whether Pota would be re-introduced, Mr Singh said terrorist acts had taken place even when this law was in operation. He cited the attack on the Akshardham temple in Gujarat and the ‘03 Mumbai blasts. Mr Singh desisted from pinning the blame on the home ministry on being asked whether he was satisfied with its functioning.

“Of course, there is no reason why I should not be satisfied with the Home Ministry,” he said. “We have to upgrade our intelligence gathering, upgrade ability to cope with terrorist acts and we have to strengthen disaster management capabilities. So in all this, it is learning by doing,” he said.

Mr Singh held out the assurance that his government will do whatever is necessary to “strengthen our resolve to come out victorious in this war against terror”. Asked about reports that the Mumbai police had failed to act on information it had got about possible terror attacks, Mr Singh said at the macro-level there was an intimation that some group had infiltrated into India and that vital installations would be its target.

“These vital installations could be economic targets and religious places. That much information we had,” he said. Mr Singh, who visited Mumbai on Friday, said the Maharashtra Police had been forewarned some weeks ago when they recovered 43 kg of RDX near Aurungabad.

“That there were attempts to create trouble in Maharashtra, that was known. But that the suburban railway system would be the precise target, that sadly was not known. Terrorists have the advantage of surprise. We were the victims of that,” he said.

On how those affected by the blasts would be taken care of since many sole bread winners were killed, Singh said he had requested Mahrashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to work out a mechanism whereby the needs of each family is looked after to enable them to get over this trauma and again restart their normal life.

Both the Centre and the states will work hand-in-hand to ensure that all affected families are given the needed support to resume their normal life, he said.