Centre to set up sixth NSG Black Cat commando hub in Ayodhya: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the government plans to set up the sixth regional hub of the Black Cat counter terrorism commando force NSG in Uttar Pradesh's temple town Ayodhya. The National Security Guard has regional hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Gandhinagar, along with a small unit called task force in Jammu. While addressing the 41 st Raising Day of the National Security Guard at its headquarters in Haryanas Manesar, the Home Minister announced that the NSG hubs in different parts of the country enabled its commandos to reach any emergency immediately and effectively. In his address, the Home Minister also indicated that the government is working on a plan to bring in major changes in the functioning of the NSG in the coming days. So far, five hubs of the NSG have been established in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad (Gandhinagar). In addition, a new hub is also going to be set up in Ayodhya. Here, the NSG personnel will be deployed and available round the clock, he said. The government operationalised four regional hubs of the NSG in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata on June 30 and July 1, 2009. The decision to set up these hubs was taken following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 to reduce the time in mobilising the elite commandos in the event of terror attacks. During the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the NSG commandos were required to be airlifted from Delhi, which caused critical delays. In March 2011, the central government gave the nod for setting up another NSG regional hub in Gandhinagar. Praising the NSGs efforts in fighting a formidable battle against terrorism for the past four decades, the Home Minister said that it was reassuring for the countrymen that their security and fight against terrorism are in safe hands. With the three principles: Sarvatra, Sarvottam, Suraksha, and by making Samarpan, Saahas and Rashtrabhakti, its hallmarks, the NSG has fought a formidable battle against organised crime and terrorism in this country for four decades, he said. Shah said that the Special Operation Training Centre (SOTC), which was inaugurated today, was not only for the NSG but also for the state police forces. I want to tell all the state police forces that the Special Operation Training Centre inaugurated today is not only for NSG, but it will be available to them, he said. The Home Minister said that the SOTC, which has been built at a cost of Rs 141 crore, would provide state-of-the-art training for commandos to combat terrorism.