Parliamentary panel questions poor infrastructure of NIA

NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary committee today questioned the poor infrastructure provided to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), set up to deal with terror related cases with inter-state and international linkages.

Members of the Standing Committee on Home slammed the Home Ministry and the Finance Ministry for poor infrastructure provided to NIA. Members were also critical about the "limited" funds being provided to the agency set up in December 2008.

The committee met here to discuss the demands for grants of the Home Ministry in which Home Secretary R K Singh and top officials of various central police agencies were also present.

Members are learnt to have raised questions on limited manpower of the agency and pointed out that at times its officials were using taxis for official duties due to lack of its own fleet of vehicles.

"You create an agency but fail to provide infrastructure, including manpower, vehicles and buildings. An anti-terror agency is being manned by a few hundred personnel," a member said after the meeting.

Sources said a detailed discussion on the role of NIA will take place in the committee in the coming days.

MHA and NIA officials were also asked about the progress made in the February 21 Hyderabad blasts and the panel was informed that important leads have been gathered and a breakthrough was likely.

Members, including Lalu Prasad (RJD), raised the issue of detention of Muslim youths from Bihar for their alleged role in terror activities.

Some members suggested fast tracking of such cases in courts.

The issue of NIA arresting people from various states without informing the state authorities also came up.