Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: April 17, 2006
The police in Angul have stepped up security
after receiving a red alert from Intelligence Bureau, New Delhi, warning of
a possible Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) attack on National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC) plants.
An eye is being kept on the activities at
a sponge iron factory on the Angul-Kamakyanagar border as a number of Muslim
workers from Muzzafarnagar are employed there. Police are suspicious about
the antecedents of the owner of the factory, a resident of Uttar Pradesh who
is said to have employed criminals.
The police have adopted a wait and watch policy,
fear that the sponge iron factory could be harbouring a LeT module. Contract
workers, especially Muslims from outside the State are also under the scanner
and industry owners are being actively discouraged from employing them.
Contractors who hire labourers have been alerted
to the possibility of terrorists sneaking into the plants and told to exercise
greater caution while hiring. A sniffer dog made the rounds of the two NTPC
plants on Saturday.
The CISF has installed metal detectors at
the gates of NTPC, Kaniha and TTPS, Talcher and they are keeping a close watch
on the employees as well as the visitors entering the plant site. The CISF
commandant said that a Quick Reaction Team has been pressed into service and
they will be on duty round- the- clock. Deep Shot Metal Readers have been
installed at important check points to inspect four-wheelers and Under Vehicle
Searching Mirrors has been provided to guards to also check vehicles.
The CISF commandant said Ambush Station Guard
towers have been installed in all parts of the plant sites. The CISF personnel
have been provided modern sophisticated weapons and the Ambush Station Guard
towers are cushioned with sand bags to counter terrorist attack with sophisticated
weapons.
Contrary to reports that Nalco in Angul was
under the radar of LeT list, the police said that they have received alerts
only about the two NTPC plants in Angul district, but there was no mention
about Nalco. As the police do not want to take any risk they have beefed up
security there also. Nalco security is supervised by the Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF).
