National Security Guard crack commando strength has been almost
doubled to 460 personnel each stationed at select hubs in Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad to undertake quick and swift
counter-terror or counter-hijack operations.
The hubs in these cities, covering key areas, were set up in the
aftermath of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks during which the
elite force came under criticism for slow response time.
"It has been decided to reinforce the strength of each of the four
regional hubs from 241 to 460 personnel with immediate effect," the
Union Home Ministry said in its annual report for 2013-14 tabled in the
Parliament on Wednesday.
All the four hubs were made operational in 2009 by the Home Ministry
after residential and training infrastructure was developed in these
hubs for commandos and other administrative staff of the NSG, a federal
contingency force that was raised in 1984 to undertake special missions
against terrorists and hijackers.
Specially trained commandos of the NSG counter-terror taskforce have
been since stationed at these locations and they are armed with
sophisticated weapons, communication gadgetry and other logistics to
launch themselves in an combat scenario at a short notice.
Hyderabad and Chennai hubs have also been upgraded to the level of
regional centres with 600 acres and 34.31 acres of land allotted to NSG
in these cities respectively.
The force is also mulling to finalise a land for its fifth hub that could come up in Gujarat near Ahmedabad.
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