Author: Pranab Dhal Samanta
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: November 26, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/17348.html
Introduction: Team led by Maharashtra DGP
reported at conference this week on threat to critical installations, including
atomic energy, space; national coastal police station network to be expanded
When Home Minister Shivraj Patil rang the
alarm bell this week over threats to critical installations and nuclear power
stations, he had one reason: as many as 51 spy rings involved in gathering
information and details on such installations have been busted in the past
two years.
The spy rings dealt with nuclear installations,
missile technology, communications systems, space programmes and related defence
establishments.
It's reliably learnt that this information
was disclosed at this week's conference of DGPs from all states. Patil, while
inaugurating the conference, underlined the threat posed by Pakistan-based
groups to such critical installations, especially along the coast.
A committee, led by Director General of Maharashtra
Police P S Pasricha, had recently gone into these threats and its report was
discussed at the conference. The committee pointed out that threat levels
against nuclear installations have increased after the proposed Indo-US nuclear
deal.
In 2005, it was revealed that 18 espionage
modules were busted and 30 agents were arrested, of which 19 were Indians.
This year, until mid-September, 17 modules had been detected.
Sources say the main aim of these modules
was to provide information that could facilitate attacks on the hinterland.
The critical installations and systems broadly
mapped by this committee are atomic energy and space installations, petro-chemical
complexes, including those run by the private sector, Defence installations
like Ordnance depots, communication networks and systems, the I-T sector,
airports and sea ports as well as mass transit systems.
Specific mention was made of the petro-chemical
infrastructure located along the western coast and that this is under threat
from terror groups and crime mafia which can use the high seas to carry out
an attack.
In this connection, the government is now
looking to give a push to its plan for setting up coastal police stations
at the cost of over Rs 15 lakh per station. An amount of Rs 151 crore has
been earmarked for this but only 12 have come up so far. Six of these are
in Andhra Pradesh and two in West Bengal.
Besides this, an Indian Infrastructure Protection
Centre has been set up under the National Technical Research Organisation,
the hub for technical intelligence gathering.
Based on intelligence reports and assessments,
this centre will come out with specific list of critical installations under
threat. Much of the focus of this centre is on the I-T sector, said sources.
pranab.samanta@expressindia.com