Author:
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: November 29, 2011
URL: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/topsecret-2611-note-that-no-one-wants-to-see/206947-3.html
While the Ram Pradhan Committee recommendations
have dominated the security discourse in the city post-26/11 assault, it has
emerged that a 'confidential note' penned by Ram Pradhan and addressed to
then chief minister Ashok Chavan has managed to remain buried under piles
of bureaucratic files two-and-a-half years after its submission.
Information available with MiD DAY reveals
that apart from the 100-page report on the terror strike, the committee head
and former governor had also submitted a letter running into two pages to
Chavan, in the absence of then state home minister Jayant Patil.
According to top sources, government functionaries
are diffident of even mentioning the document, confining themselves to whispering
about it in hushed tones. In fact, not more than a handful of senior bureaucrats
in the home department and a few ministers including Ashok Chavan are aware
of its existence.
Damning content?
The letter touched on sensitive issues like
intelligence gathering and implementation. In the note, the committee had,
in strong words, lambasted then Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and Principal
Secretary (Home) for giving it in writing that they had not received any intelligence
input from the Union Home Ministry, when in fact the Ministry had sent seven
alerts since 2007, but none were brought to the notice of the officials concerned.
The note also mentioned that the police were
not properly equipped and did not have firing practice due to shortage of
arms and ammunition, a lapse that eventually put the skids under the then
state government. The committee had also observed that there was too much
bureaucracy and political interference in the procurement policy for the police,
and it had recommended that political meddling be kept to a minimum.
None of these findings were made public. Instead,
the state government declared the committee report as a 'classified' document.
When contacted, Ram Pradhan refused to elaborate
on the note, saying, "We have submitted the report to the government
and have nothing to say."
V Balchandran, a former special secretary
of the Cabinet secretariat, who worked closely with Ram Pradhan on the report
confirmed to MiD DAY about the note's existence. "There was nothing confidential
in the note authored by Pradhan. It was more of a personal note to then chief
minister, drawing his attention to the observations made in the letter,"
he said, adding, "The letter concluded with willingness to discuss the
issues in detail with then chief minister, but there was no response thereafter."
Balchandran continued, "Our thrust was
only on ensuring systemic improvement. From my long years of intelligence
gathering, I had given several recommendations to improve intelligence integration
and convey the same to the lowest level in the police."
Asked if the government has put all of the
committee's recommendations in practice, Balchandran said only that he has
not kept a tab after submitting the report.
Asked if he was aware of the note, the then
CM Ashok Chavan said, "I had submitted all the papers received from Ram
Pradhan Committee to the government officials concerned and I have no papers
in my possession."
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, "I
have not seen any such 'confidential note' other than the Action Taken Report
submitted by Ram Pradhan. If such a note exists, it may be between two individuals
sharing confidential notes without involving the government. Ram Pradhan has
not mentioned any such note to me when we met earlier."
He added, "On Monday, I had a review
briefing on the Action Taken Report, before the security council meeting is
called."
