It is a proud privilege to partcipate in the

confabulatons of this august forum of policy

makers and esteemed personages involved in
designing the security superstructure of our
Naton. At the outset let me place on record
my appreciaton for the fact that, at long last,
the Union Government has paid some heed
to repeated representatons and objectons
regarding the proposed NCTC and has scheduled
a separate meetng for discussing issues related
to NCTC on 5th May, 2012. In view of the fact that
NCTC will now be discussed separately I presume
that item stands removed from todays agenda
and reserve my comments for the meetng on 5th
May. In this context let me draw your atenton
Respected Pradhanmantriji Shri Manmohan Singhji,
Honble Union Home Minister Shri Chidambaramji,
Honble Union Ministers, Honble Lt. Governors,
Honble Chief Ministers and Ladies and Gentlemen.
to the fact that the NCTC imbroglio is part of a
series of unsavoury episodes that have taken
place since we last met and the leitmotf of these
episodes has been the unilateral approach of
the Union Government. We all know that the
state governments face the brunt of problems
related to Internal Security and hence must be
seen as partners in upholding the security of the
Naton. Internal Security is too serious a mater
to be treated as an arena for one-upmanship
by the Union Government. I sincerely hope that
this Conference will become a turning-point and
ensure that our Naton stays frmly on course to
fulfll its destny as a Superpower.
1
Internal Security situation in the
country - A brief snap shot
Gujarat has adopted a growth model that has
unleashed the innovatve skills and energies of every
individual. Inclusive growth, non confrontatonal land
acquisiton, cosmopolitan social fabric are all part of the
true inner strength of Gujarat which have not allowed
the inimical forces of hate, terror, lef wing extremism,
labour unrest to take root and the resultant peace and
public order has further spurred growth. Thus a virtuous
cycle of growth has been created which has proved a
disincentve to persons easily falling in to the trap of
subversive elements threatening internal security.
At the same tme, our geographical proximity to a
sensitve part of the world coupled with the atenton
drawn by Gujarats exceptonal growth makes us
vulnerable to the machinatons of terror groups and
their patrons. Gujarats extensive coastline and the
Rann of Kachchh are today bustling centers of growth.
Some of the countrys busiest ports, massive
petrochemical complexes and other industrial parks
are situated along the coasts while Kachchh has seen
unprecedented agricultural bountes and industrial
growth. In this context, I would urge Government of India
I earnestly request the Government of India to
take proactve steps to clear the fog of mistrust
and suspicion that has arisen on account of the
recent unseemly controversy and not remain
content with mere issuance of statements.
As we all know, terrorism has internatonal
ramifcatons and we are ofen subjected to
cross border terrorisms. We have experienced
terrorists feeing our country and ofen carrying
out subversive acts sitng outside the boundary
of the naton. It puzzles me as to what a helpless
situaton we are put in to; even we are unable
to bring the perpetrators of terror to justce.
I urge the Union Government to pay atenton to
such issues as it impacts our internal security.
Unilateral Actons: Ignoring States
We are proud of our unity and diversity and
espoused federalism in our system to recognise
regional aspiratons. For beter governance
of the Country we have emphasised on
decentralisaton and devoluton of powers up
to the grass root levels. The strength of the
Naton lies in strengthening of the States and
local self governments. Yet there have been
some instances observed recently, which
to consider the special sensitvites of Gujarat
and accord highest priority to our internal
security requirements.
Since this is a forum to discuss issues of strategy
and policy, we should be looking at the Higher
Security management that prevails in the country.
This involves, among others, a strong deterrent
posture, frm espousal of natonal interest and
seamless co-ordinaton among the states and
stakeholders.
Internal and External security:
The Internal Security of the Naton cannot be
viewed in isolaton as it is intertwined with the
external security scenario. The Armed Forces
play an important role in ant-infltraton, ant-
insurgency etc which directly impinges on the
internal security of the Naton. In this context,
any lacunae in our defence capabilites on
account of resource constraints, demoralizaton
of the rank and fle and tensions between the civil
and military wings is bound to have an adverse
impact on the Internal Security of the Naton. It is
unfortunate that the present Union Government
has failed to instll faith and confdence about
our defence preparedness in the common man.
clearly violates these principles and is a mater
of serious concern to all of us.
I may take liberty to cite some of these examples
in this august gathering. The non-consultatve
approach of the Union Government was seen in the
recent amendments to the Railway Protecton Force
[RPF] Act. The Union Railway Ministry has tried to
create state within state. The amendment is intended
to confer powers of the police ofcers, which is
otherwise provided under Indian Police Act 1861 only.
Even the Code of Criminal procedure 1973 defne
Police staton and in charge Police staton ofcer
but nowhere defniton of police or police ofcer is
provided under the Code. It is indeed ironical that Union
Government is not only meddling with subjects under
State List but also violatng provisions of Indian Police
Act 1861 and the Code of Criminal procedure 1973.
I have writen to the Prime Minister detailing our
concerns about the proposed amendments to the BSF
act, 1968. This is yet another instance of the Union
governments atempts to trample the federal structure
of the country. I would use this occasion to exhort the
Union Government to desist from atemptng to snatch
away powers from the state police & thus creatng
distrust & demoralisaton of the state police.
The Union Governments callous approach
towards sensitve issues like defence is also
seen in the mater of Limited Compettve
Examinaton, which seeks to address severe
shortalls in the IPS cadre by inductng ofcers
of the Armed and Para military forces. Despite
severe shortages in the ofcer cadre of the
Armed forces, the Union Government is seeking
to conceal its inepttude in maters of Internal
Security by such shortcuts. It is noteworthy that
on this issue the Union Government has also
disregarded the advice of a consttutonal body
like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
I also draw your atenton to the injustce meted
out to numerous young aspirants due to this
ill advised move and emphasize the need to
harness our demographic dividend to the fullest.
I would urge that the entre issue be treated in
a holistc perspectve. The Union Government
should systematcally increase the annual intake
of IPS ofcers rather than resortng to ad hoc
administratve sleights of hand. On such issues,
a process of deliberaton and consultaton with
State Governments is defnitely warranted and it
is stll not too late for the Union Government to
do a re-think on this mater.
ensure that the insttutons created are not
damaged for short term politcal gains and harm
the natonal interests in long term.
Seamless co-ordinaton among
stakeholders:
There are several Ministries and Departments
of the Union Government that are involved
in various aspects of internal security. It has
been notced that Central agencies which are
involved in intelligence gathering and internal
security management are unable to promptly
and satsfactorily resolve coordinaton issues
on account of policies and procedures of these
important stakeholders.
The agenda note mentons that 97% of MAC
inputs are generated by central agencies and
only 3% come from state agencies and as I guess
these agencies take commensurate responsibility
of inputs they disseminate. However, I am not
aware as to what parameters have been taken in
to consideraton in arriving at such fgures, but I
am sure that Government of India is aware of the
treless eforts of state agencies in maintaining
peace and public order on a daily basis and
therefore such statements would only serve to
belitle the eforts of numerous State government
I would urge the Government of India to realise
that state governments are the arms and
limbs that implement policies for the Natons
progress. It is incumbent on every government,
whether at the Centre or in the states, to ensure
that they do not take actons which would
encourage indiscipline within the system or
provide protecton to delinquent ofcers. I can
state on the basis of experience that the Central
Government has a tendency of late to fout rules
and procedures which it has itself framed with
regard to discipline and conduct of ofcers. Such
tendencies will severely afect the integrity and
robustness of the system in the long run. I would
therefore strongly urge the Union Government to
refrain from actons that undermine the authority
of state governments.
I would like to draw your atenton to the
increasing politcisaton of premier central
agencies including the CBI to harass and victmize
politcal rivals of the ruling party at the centre.
This approach has gravely compromised the
credibility of agencies like CBI and is a mater of
concern since these agencies are also involved
in Internal Security maters. It is therefore
incumbent on government at the Centre to
personnel who are our foot soldiers for Homeland
security. I would strongly urge that a panel of
experts should review the parameters for arriving
at such fgures. The review should culminate in a
comprehensive White Paper that will look at the
modalites of intelligence gathering and sharing
and lay down appropriate norms.
I take this opportunity to menton that
conventonal policing is largely oriented towards
controlling crimes locally minding local criminals
and miscreants. This is a legacy of an era when
there was limited mobility. We must reorient our
strategies to respond appropriately to the rising
trend of Inter State movement of criminal gangs. I
strongly urge that we must fully harness the latest
technologies and equip border check posts and
control rooms with the hardware and sofware
required for this purpose. There is also a dire
need to augment the security of public spaces
with technological support partcularly in railway
statons, bus statons etc. and bring them on
par with the benchmarks prescribed for Airport
security. I therefore suggest that a Task Force be
consttuted to address this signifcant aspect of
internal security and evolve a comprehensive
mechanism.
Sir Creek - Wealth Creek:
Further, reliable and afordable sources of energy
are a sine qua non for a progressive economy
and the natons current energy dependence has
serious security implicatons. We need to develop
right strategy for exploitng available resources,
in partcular the projected Hydrocarbon reserves
in border region and in our Exclusive Economic
Zone. I would like to draw your atenton to
the strong possibilites of fnding sizeable
Hydrocarbon reserves in the Sir Creek area and
along the land borders extending to Rajasthan.
Maybe the Union Government takes proactve
acton for creaton of a dedicated Force to exploit
the hydro-carbon reserve along these areas and
guard the natural wealth in the corridor along
the borders. Similarly, there is immense potental
for solar energy along the border regions of
Gujarat and Rajasthan. This huge potental could
be tapped for sustainable clean energy. Gujarat
Government will be happy to extend the required
support and cooperaton in its region. Such an
initatve would not only augment our domestc
energy reserves but also improve the overall
security environment of the region.
2
Police Reforms and
Capacity Building
Development brings along several challenges and
reforming police and increasing its capacity and
wherewithal is inevitable to mitgate the undesirable
consequences of economic prosperity. Any organizaton
is as good as the personnel who man it. This is especially
so for people intensive sectors like law enforcement
and intelligence gathering. Gujarat Government has
been taking innovatve steps to capture the gains of a
knowledge economy and the demographic dividend.
Creaton of centers of academic excellence, massive
schemes for skill development and encouragement for
innovaton has been the key themes in the development
saga of Gujarat.
Expansion of the Human Resource base of the State
Police being a prerequisite for full implementaton of
this directve, the State Government has embarked on
a massive recruitment drive. This drive will not only
fll up all vacancies but also cause a quantum jump in
police manpower. As many as 1000 ofcers and 22000
constables have been recruited in Gujarat police during
last three years, amountng to almost 25 percent of
the present strength of the State police. In the
current year, recruitment for nearly 10000
more constables and 650 ofcers is underway
which shall further strengthen the State Police
Force. Incidentally this initatve has possibly
made Gujarat police the youngest in its age
profle ever since the State came into existence.
We are progressing towards the goal of a desirable
police populaton rato and proximate police
staton by expanding the state polices footprint
in a sustained manner.
We have conducted the police recruitment
process as not a mere inducton of personnel but
have brought about a tectonic shif in the quality of
recruits. This has been made possible by suitable
changes in recruitment rules and processes.
A new breed of technology-savvy police has been
selected who will give a futuristc dimension to
the enforcement of law and order in the state.
The comprehensive approach of the State
Government treats capacity building as an
investment and not an expense. We are
systematcally putng in place a complete eco-
system of knowledge centers, training insttutes
and an innovatve disseminaton infrastructure
for all elements of the criminal justce system.
The State has set up centers of excellence for cutng
edge professional research and knowledge producton.
Raksha Shakt University, the frst University of its
kind in India, is one of the path-breaking initatves of
the Gujarat Government and has been set up to act
as a resource pool for recruitment in the police force
as well as other security organizatons. It provides in-
service training, facilitates research in policing subjects
and thus strives to create and disseminate knowledge
and contribute to the progress of policing concept and
strategies. Since the setng up of the University, courses
of Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Police Science
have been successfully conducted and many Natonal
level seminars on varied topics have been held under the
aegis of the Raksha Shakt University.
Gujarats Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has carved a
niche for itself as a Natonal Resource Centre and provides
forensic support to not only the state agencies but also
to several central government organizatons and other
state police forces. FSL has the distncton of handling
almost 5000 cases referred from outside the state in
the last three years. Gujarat Government has leveraged
this core competence of the FSL into the creaton of an
insttuton namely Gujarat Forensic Sciences University
(GFSU). The GFSU imparts knowledge and
encourages research in the feld of forensic
science and allied areas with the objectve of
strengthening the system of preventon and
detecton of crimes, rehabilitaton of victms
and reformaton of criminals. During the span
of three years, the University has organized
seven Natonal / Internatonal level Conferences
/ Seminars including a conference under the
auspices of Interpol (France).
The existng training establishments of Gujarat
police are being modernized and expanded. We
have embarked on setng up a new Commando
Training Centre to make the State self sufcient
in our tactcal training needs. In additon to
developing state level insttutons, a very
innovatve framework is being set up to overcome
the last mile botlenecks in taking training to the
grass root levels. We have already set up a well
equipped District Training Center in each of our
districts. All police statons are being networked
on a satellite-based broadcast platorm which
would be used to disseminate carefully prepared
training content to every single police personnel
deployed on the ground.
The constabulary forms the cutng edge level of
the law enforcement machinery and consttutes
the bulk of police force. Despite the critcal
need to improve the knowledge and skill set of
the constabulary, there has been no initatve
from the Government of India to cater to the
training needs of the constabulary. I strongly
believe in the philosophy that the best way to
disseminate cutng-edge training inputs to our
feld personnel deployed far and wide is to set
up a self sustaining human chain reacton. Every
young sub-inspector passing out of Gujarat Police
Academy has been asked to impart 100 hours of
training to constables which the police training
establishment metculously monitors for quality
and reach. This innovatve stratagem ensures two
way disseminaton of knowledge and skill sets.
I suggest that the Government of India should
consider insttutonalizaton of this innovaton
and fnancially support the state governments.
3
Intelligence Wings
- Strengthening
In our resolve to strengthen the State Intelligence
Branch, the Gujarat Govt. has prepared an acton plan and
taken a number of steps towards augmentng the skilled
manpower and upgrading their technical capabilites.
38 Intelligence Ofcers (IO) have been selected through
direct recruitment procedure and another 57 posts of
the direct Intelligence Ofcers has been sanctoned and
their recruitment is under progress. Further, posts of 100
Assistant Intelligence Ofcers (AIO) has been sanctoned
and their recruitment rules are being framed.
Atempt has been made to strengthen the Intelligence
Wing technically. More Vehicles have been provided to
feld units for beter mobility, resultng into the improved
intelligence gathering. On the line of Natonal Bomb Data
Centre (NBDC), State Bomb Data centre is created.
Periodic training programmes are being arranged to
sensitze the feld formatons. Cutng edge ofcers
and men of the State IB require special training on the
lines of RAW and Central IB . They need to be trained
for intelligence tradecraf such as surveillance skill
(statc target, moving target and technical surveillance),
interrogaton skill, ant-subversion skill, agent
running skill, secret enquiries skill, intelligence
gathering for counter terrorism, intelligence
analysis, etc.
I had earlier suggested for setng up of more
Regional Intelligence Training Centers for capacity
building of our intelligence personnel but nothing
concrete has been done in this regard so far.
I would once again reiterate my earlier suggeston
of setng up of an All India Intelligence Service on
the patern of All India Services to upgrade the
quality of our intelligence wings.
Though it is noted that 97% of MAC intelligence
inputs come from Central Agencies, the Subsidiary
Mult-Agency Centre (SMAC) functoning at
state-level has been reduced to a get-together of
various agencies and the Central IB, which is the
convener of these meetngs, passes on only very
general and dated informaton. This adversely
impacts the state police forces whose energies
are diverted towards repeated wild-goose chases.
The atempt to make the relatonship between
the Central Intelligence Agencies and the State
Law Enforcement Agencies more and more
asymmetrical is a mater of great concern. The
desire to corner greater power and authority
without any commensurate responsibility is
a disquietng and dangerous trend for our
Republic. It must be understood that the local
police forces are the frst responders and the
frst line of defence in any eventuality and it is
the democratcally elected State Governments
which have the maximum interface with public
concerns and sensitvites.
The same approach is seen with regard to issues
related to collecton of technical intelligence.
Technical intelligence requires the acquisiton
of state-of-the-art hardware and sofware and
the current approach which seeks to deny state
agencies access to equipment which the central
agencies possess is a highly discriminatory one
and it will severely undermine the capability of
the First responders. Such approaches can only
cause the greatest set-backs to our common
mission of securing our Motherland.
4
Economic Offences
(special emphasis on FICN)
I apprehend that the levy on Gold in the recent
Union budget has a strong possibility of giving a lease of
life to dormant smuggling syndicates unless necessary
safeguards in the implementaton of these new policies
are ensured. The nexus between these criminal syndicates
and terror groups is a dimension which must be seriously
considered and I therefore urge the Union Government
to look at the issue in a comprehensive manner.
In Gujarat, the State Ant-Economic Ofences Wing
has done signifcant work in controlling the economic
ofences in the state and in proper investgaton of the
same, bringing a great relief to the people of Gujarat.
A racket which had been going on to deprive the
Government of the proceeds of sales tax in transport
sector, tea trade and many other areas through misuse
of fake C and F forms, bogus billing and false accounts
etc has been successfully busted, which in turn has
strengthened the economic administraton of the
State and augmented Sales Tax proceeds of the State
government.
Printng and circulaton of Fake Indian Currency
Notes is a crime against the State and efectve
acton has been taken in this regard by
Government of Gujarat. During the last three
years, 444 cases have been registered by
the State police, involving seizure of over
Rs. 1.30 crores. An analysis of these cases
indicates a worrisome infow of FICN across the
Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders. There
is also the use of formal banking channels for
transportng the ill-goten gains. The RBI should
also pro-actvely create a database which will
supplement the policing eforts. The suspected
involvement of terror syndicates in several
FICN cases must alert us to the need to involve
all stake-holders in formulatng an efectve
response to the FICN scourge at all levels rather
than treatng it as a mere criminal ofence which
is to be tackled by routne policing above.
The inputs from state intelligence agencies
has played a vital role in the detecton of FICN
cases and in this context I wonder whether
Government of India has taken these inputs
into consideraton while arriving at its surprising
fgure of 3% contributon by state intelligence
agencies to MAC inputs. The informaton about
FICN detectons by state police is available with
the central agencies but we are unaware of the
follow up actons taken by the Government of
India in this regard. I would urge the Government
of India to pursue the leads provided by state
agencies to their logical conclusion since these
cases have an internatonal dimension and hope
that proactve steps will be taken by Government
of India.
5
Crime and Criminal Tracking Network
and System (CCTNS)
CCTNS, as introduced by Ministry of Home Afairs in
2009 is successor to the earlier initatves of CCIS and
CIPA. CCTNS mainly encompasses various crime and
criminal management related processes of police statons
and collatng the data for relevant MIS for higher ofces
such as SP Ofces, Range Ofces, DGP Ofce and SCRB.
CCTNS mainly provides for police staton functonalites
for complaint/FIR registraton, case management and
case decision.
CCTNS as can be seen above has a very limited scope as it
is confned to only crime and criminal data and does not
in true sense provide citzen centric services. HDIITS as
is introduced by Government of Gujarat in 2007 covers
all the detailed functonalites as listed in CCTNS project.
Apart from these functonalites HDIITS has various other
modules for data management of ancillary departments
which aid in maintaining law order in the state. These
modules include Forensic Science Laboratory, CID Crime,
IB, ATS, ACB, Prison, SRPF, SCRB, Home Guards & Civil
Defence, Trafc and Prohibiton & Excise. In additon
to these HDIITS also covers various administratve
management modules also such as Human Resource
Management System for all employees of Home
Department, Inventory Management, Police
Housing Corporaton, Sainik Welfare, etc.
HDIITS is in advanced stage of implementaton
wherein the various modules developed under
HDIITS have been tried and tested. GSWAN
connectvity required for total implementaton of
the soluton has been facilitated at approximately
1000 ofce locatons (including police statons)
where HDIITS is to be implemented.
However, as against requirement of HDIITS for
about Rs. 200 crores, the MHA, GoI has approved
only Rs.55 crores. I would therefore urge that
the parameters for allocaton of grants to States
under schemes need to be revisited. Instead of
merely going by the number of police statons
of the state, size of populaton, sensitvity and
vulnerability of a State should be taken as a major
factor while allocatng grants to the States.
6
Extension of the Scheme of
Modernization of State Police Forces
Modernisaton of police force has become an axiom
that means diferent things to diferent people. I suggest
that a Task Force of experts be immediately consttuted
to defne the concept, delve into the nature of our
modernisaton needs and lay down the parameters in
a need based and region specifc manner. However, the
Modernizaton of Police Force scheme has been of good
support to the States and it is recommended that it
should contnue in the next fscal years.
In the present format the fnancial contributon is
shared in the rato of 75% and 25% between the Centre
and the State respectvely. I recommend that this
scheme should be 100 percent centrally sponsored.
There remains a uncertainty in the allocaton of funds
every year and approval of the plans which results in
the delay in procurement. May I suggest that once an
allocaton has been decided, there should be no change
in the allocaton for at least next three years. This would
entail moving the MPF from Non Plan to Plan. All the
Annual Plans should be approved in the beginning of the
fnancial year leaving the administraton with sufcient
tme to decide on their procurement. I may also suggest
that the Government of India may, in order to
avoid unnecessary delays in the approval of
Annual Plans, delegate the powers to approve
the same subject to the guidelines of the MPF
scheme to an empowered commitee under the
Chief Secretary of the state.
The Budgetary allocaton to this scheme should
take into account the threat percepton arising
from the highly sensitve coast line and land
border, vulnerability to the terror threat, critcality
of the natonally important vital installatons and
growing development of the State. This unique
convergence of risk factors would call for an extra
support to Gujarat. I would therefore, urge the
Government of India to enhance the outlay for
Gujarat under this scheme to at least Rs 250
crore this fscal year.
Last year, I had put my case for increasing the
scope of the scheme beyond merely weaponry,
mobility and security equipments to the
procuring of cutng edge technology driven,
end to end solutons in order to squarely meet
the challenges of modern day policing. The
State Government has embarked upon a slew of
such projects in areas covering City wide closed
circuit TV surveillance systems, automated
trafc regulaton and enforcement systems,
modern communicaton networks and systems
for law enforcement agencies etc. All these
steps would directly contribute to our internal
security preparedness as a naton. It is therefore
high tme that the naton considered developing
new funding models for such critcal projects
which can easily go beyond the limited fnancial
resources of an individual state.
It was heartening to note that the Mega City
Policing has been recognized for strengthening.
Since Mega cites are growing in rapidly and
require specialized equipment and policing,
I suggest that the Mega City scheme should be
recognized as separate component and scope
should be expanded to cover cites in which the
populaton is over 30 lacs.
I am also given to understand that the second
phase of Jawaharlal Nehru Natonal Urban
Renewal Mission shall be launched shortly.
I would request the government to include
an urban security component in this Mission
for which my government has already made a
request in its proposal sent for the same. There
is no denying the fact that security issue is
assuming greater importance in wake of recent
bomb blasts and serious consideraton should be
given to the aspect of urban policing and trafc
management. Similarly enhanced and distnct
allocaton should be considered for Desert Area
policing component.
One of the major challenges facing the country is
that of Lef Wing Extremism. The approach of the
Government of India has been to try to solve the
problem afer it has arisen. I wish to submit that
Government of India should not ignore states
which are peaceful and currently not afected
by the menace of Naxlism. Such elements always
seek new regions for hiding and expand their
network for which the Union Government should
view the problem holistcally and coordinate with
such states where currently no such problem
exist. Periodic overview should be made and fore
warn the vulnerable states.
The supply of arms both through the imports and
through the ordnance factories are taking too
much tme and thereby causing delays in setng
up of specialized teams and training. In spite of
my repeated requests in this regard, nothing
concrete has been done by the Government of
India so far. I would once again request the Union
Government to reassess the requirement of
states and paramilitary forces and take
suitable acton for augmentng the capacity
of our Ordnance factories. This year the
State Government proposes to buy arms and
ammuniton to the tune of Rs 112 crores.
However, modernizaton of Police forces in
terms of equipment and fre power alone
will not address the issues of law and order
administraton and internal security. It has to
be backed by enactment of certain special laws
dealing with organized crime and terrorism.
There may be need for amendment in the Indian
Evidence Act as well, as the Police Ofcers have
to constantly atend the Court hearing to give
evidence even afer they get transferred from
the concerned place. We may make provisions,
whereby the incumbent ofcers evidence on
record itself should satsfy the prosecuton and
trial. Inspite of my repeated submissions on this
issue and the possibility of considerable savings
of precious man-hours, the Government of India
is yet to respond suitably.
The State is also conscious to the need of welfare
of its security forces especially the housing
facilites. In the current year the Gujarat police
Housing Board has initated works to the tune
of Rs. 421 crores and about 2300 Residental
Quarters and 100 Non Residental Buildings
would be completed. We also ensure that
comprehensive health check up is conducted
every year of all policemen and their family
members and everyone is given a health card for
regular follow up.
7
Gujarat, situated on the western coast of India, is
blessed with the longest coastline of the country which is
1600 km long. I am happy to inform this august gathering
that the Government of Gujarat has taken advantage
of the States geographic locaton and implemented an
ambitous port led development strategy, which in turn
has led to unprecedented progress in the Coastal areas.
During the successive Vibrant Gujarat Summits, apart
from the huge investments in the hinterland, there has
been massive investment in ports, mega power projects,
road rail links etc. Gujarat is the only State which has
multple port privatzaton models like captve jetes,
private ports, private jetes, ship building yards and port-
rail linkage through Special Purpose Vehicles(SPVs).
However the enemies of Gujarat and India contnue to
probe our vulnerabilites and hence we need to upgrade
our security mechanisms on a contnuous basis.
I had during the Chief Ministers conference on Internal
Security in February 2009 raised the issue of locatng
a Regional Hub of NSG (Natonal Security Guards) in
Gujarat. Inspite of an assurance given to me that my
request would be considered at the earliest, no such
Coastal Security
centre however has been set up in Gujarat even
afer three years. As mentoned earlier, besides
having sensitve and vulnerable coastline,
Gujarat is also home to the vital natonal assets
in the form of Mega Petroleum Refneries, Ultra
Mega Power Plants, major ports like Kandla
and Mundra etc. Indias two operatonal LNG
terminals are also located in Gujarat and about
10 SPMs are located in the Gulf of Kutch for the
import of crude/petroleum products. In view of
this, Gujarat deserves to have a Regional Hub of
NSG at the earliest.
I regret to note that the Government of India has
no proactve strategy for safeguarding vulnerable
of shore installatons like SPMs. There are 11
SPMs (Single Point Moorings) located along the
Gujarat coastline, handling about 70 per cent of
the crude oil of the country. The DG, Shipping has
recommended that the responsibility for security
of SPMs should lie with the owner of SPMs.
However, in view of the limited capacity of the
SPM owners to counter any kind of terrorist atack
and considering the increased threat percepton
in view of the proximity to a hostle neighbor, it
becomes imperatve that dedicated paramilitary forces
are formed and high end surveillance devices installed
to thwart the surface/ underwater threat. I urge the
Government of India to take necessary steps in this
regard.
As regards the security at ports, it has to be accepted
that it is grossly inadequate and also lacks in insttutonal
mechanism. For minor ports and ports with private
developers currently there is no mechanism to efectvely
check movement of personnel in and out of the port
areas. I have in the past on several occasions emphasized
the need to strengthen the immigraton checks at sea
ports and bring it on par with that at airports.
As many as 38 Talukas (tehsils) in 14 districts lie along
the coastline of Gujarat. I am glad to inform this august
forum that the State Government has encouraged
integrated coastal development, partcularly of
the coastal communites by taking up an ambitous
programme of Sagarkhedu Sarvangi Vikas Yojana. It
is a 12 point programme, covering all aspects of Human
Development, for uplifing 60 lakh populaton residing in
3000 villages of the 38 Coastal Talukas.
Motvatng the youth in the 14 coastal districts to
associate themselves with Maritme security has been
a priority area for the State Government. The
State desires that more and more such youth
get opportunites to join the NCC in general and
the NCC (Naval wing) in partcular. The Educaton
Department of the State Government has already
taken up the issue but considering the threat
percepton in view of a long coastline in proximity
to our hostle neighbor and the movement in
large numbers of fsherman and fshing boats in
the said area, it is desirable that the Government
of India should provide 100 per cent assistance
for the same as well as ensure adequate Naval
presence in the region.
Since the fshermen normally stay back during
the monsoon season, a training programme
can be conducted to sensitze the fshermen on
issues pertaining to coastal security. I have in
the past raised this issue on several occasions
in the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal
Security, but no positve response in this regard
has been received from the Government of India.
The Government of India had approved allotment
of 31 interceptor boats for patrolling in the
coastal areas under the Coastal Security Scheme
( Phase 2). However these boats have not been
delivered to the State Government so far. In view
of the long and vulnerable coastline of Gujarat,
these boats may be delivered to us without any
further delay.
I regret to note that despite the known
vulnerabilites of Gujarats long coastline, our
comprehensive proposals for coastal security
have not received due atenton from the
Government of India. As against proposal for Rs.
392.47 crores, only a meagre Rs. 58.42 crores
was sanctoned by the Government of India
under Phase 1 and even under Phase 2, Gujarats
coastal security needs have received inadequate
support from the Government of India.
The Government of Gujarat however has already
conducted Fishermen Awareness Programme
during monsoon 2011 at a cost of Rs 50 Lakhs,
beneftng 15000 fshermen and encouraged
by its success, the Government proposes to
contnue such training program on a sustainable
basis every year. However, with 140000 actve
fshermen in the State, it becomes necessary that
the Government of India should also provide
assistance in order to enable 100 per cent
fshermen populaton to be covered by such
training within a short period of tme.
I am glad to inform this august forum that the
State Government has proposed to set up a
new Marine Police Training Academy, which
can be used to train not only the Gujarat
Marine Commandos but can also serve as a
resource center for other Coastal States and
other Maritme actors like the Coastguard. The
Natonal Task Force on Internal Security headed
by Shri V K Duggal had on his recent visit to State
had also commended the said initatve of the
State Government. Considering the Natonal
importance of this initatve, I may request the
Union Government to extend fnancial support in
setng up of the said academy.
8
Border fencing in the Rann of Kutch has remained
incomplete. Even the portons which were erected
earlier have collapsed due to corrosion and defectve
foundaton. This issue needs to be immediately atended
to, considering the 512 km long land border with a hostle
neighbor.
Flood lightng of the land border has been completed
for only 221 kms out of the total 512 kms and of which
only a porton of 110 kms has been energized. This work
should be immediately expedited to avoid any untoward
incident.
The Border Security Force (BSF) have stood frm on the
ground while guarding internatonal borders situated in
difcult terrain of Kutch and Banaskantha districts of
the State. The BSF has been facing immense problem of
mobility in the border region in absence of motorable
roads. Even transportaton of water to forward BSF Camps
through tankers remains an arduous task. Gadhuli-
Santalpur border road being vital life line in the border,
is a great soluton not only to the region but also to BSF.
I am sorry to state that despite repeated requests from
Border Management
the state government the constructon of vital
Gadhuli- Santalpur border road has been facing
roadblocks on account of delay at the level of
Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Ministry
of Home Afairs should take up this mater with
the Ministry of Environment and Forests for early
clearance to facilitate constructon of the border
road on a fast track basis
I had earlier suggested about setng up of solar
power projects for use by the BSF along the Kutch
border. I had also mentoned about setng up of
critcal social infrastructure along the border and
mechanism to intercept communicaton and TV
signals from across the border as such signals may
become means of ant India propaganda and may
be used adversely during emergencies. The need
for reconstructon of air strips at Deesa and other
strategic locatons had also been emphasized
by me on several occasions in the past. These
suggestons may be relooked and appropriate
acton taken at the earliest.
I thank all members of this august forum and
reiterate my hope that this conference will be
a turning point and will serve to strengthen the
Internal Security of the Naton.
JAY HIND. JAY JAY GARVI GUJARAT