Disaster response: social media is certainly an important tool to share info on real time basis .... it can generate awareness too

NDMA to be on Facebook, Twitter

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 28, 2011, 02.53AM IST

NEW DELHI: Getting quick information on disaster and live pictorial views of affected areas in the country will not be difficult. The National Disaster Management Authority will go on various social networking and micro-blogging sites -- Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Youtube - on Wednesday to convey relevant news and generate public awareness.

Although NDMA has been experimenting with social media tools for quite some time, the country's apex disaster management body will formally launch itself on these sites on the occasion of its seventh formation day on Wednesday.

"The idea of using these tools is to inform people about a disaster, its impact and certain dos and don'ts in such a situation on real-time basis. Information on relief and rescue operations will also be put on these sites for general use," said a senior home ministry official.

He said it was conceived long ago, but dearth of trained manpower - who could use these tools effectively round-the-clock -- had delayed the "formal launch" of these web handles. "These social networking and micro-blogging sites will also be used to answer relevant questions of people during a disaster," said the official.

Vice-chairman of the NDMA M Shashidhar Reddy will launch it at a function which is to be attended by minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran and home secretary R K Singh among others.

NDMA, which is headed by the Prime Minister, was set up in September 2005. Besides making policies on disaster-related matters and coming out with guidelines on various disasters, this central body also coordinates with states over creating adequate infrastructure to deal with any kind of disaster.

The Authority also has an important wing -- National Disaster Response Force - comprising trained personnel for doing all kinds of relief and rescue works. The NDRF - a brainchild of present Union home secretary R K Singh when he was the joint secretary (disaster management) during his earlier stint in the ministry - has eight well-trained battalions with two more being raised keeping in mind its success during the 2007 floods in the Kosi river in Bihar and also in other relief operations in the past.

An official said: "The current strength of NDRF is not adequate. There is an urgent need to increase its strength by raising more battalions. Though some of the states like Bihar, Orissa and Gujarat have taken steps to raise similar battalions at the state-level, most other states have not heeded the suggestion of the Authority."

The NDRF battalions are at present located at Guwahati, Kolkata, Mundali, Arakkonam, Pune, Gandhinagar, Bhatinda and Greater Noida. Each Battalion has 1,158 personnel, canine squad and special sophisticated equipment for collapsed structure search and rescue, water rescue, ambulances, specialized vehicles and water tankers. The two new battalions, which are being raised, will be located at Patna and Vijayawada............http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDExLzA5LzI4I0FyMDIyMDU=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Maharashtra cops want Abhinav Bharat and Sanatan Sanstha in terror list ... Will the same logic apply to the RSS?

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 19, 2011, 02.45AM IST

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Police has recommended to the state government that two Hindu radical groups - Sanatan Sanstha and Abhinav Bharat - be included in the category of banned terrorist outfits under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The name of Sanatan Sanstha had come up in the Goa blast case of 2009 while Abhinav Bharat figured in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Some members of Abhinav Bharat including Lt Col Srikant Purihit, Ajay Rahirkar, Ramesh Upadhyay and Sammer Kulkarni were charged by the Mumbai ATS and CBI in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Similarly, the National Investigation Agency had charged 11 members of Sanatan Sanstha in the Goa blast case.

As many as 35 terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohamed, al-Qaida, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Indian Mujahideen, are in the category of banned terror outfits under UAPA, 1967.

Maharashtra Police's move was disclosed by the Union home ministry in response to a Parliament question during the monsoon session early this month.

Minister of state for home affairs Jitendra Singh had said, "The matters are still under investigation. However, with reference to 'Sanatan Sanstha' and 'Abhinav Bharat', as per available information, Maharashtra Police has recommended to the government of Maharashtra to include these organizations in the schedule of terrorist organizations under Section 35 of the UAPA, 1967."

The question was asked specifically on action being taken by the government against organizations whose names figured in bomb blast cases, and whether such outfits would be banned.

The minister, at the same time, said that the name no specific organization was yet confirmed in investigations into the Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad) and Ajmer Sharif bomb blast cases. He said, "However, among the accused persons in these cases like Swami Aseemanand, Devendra Gupta and Lokesh Sharma, who have been arrested and chargesheeted, were reportedly earlier involved in the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)."

The NIA has already filed chargesheets in these three cases. In case of the 2006 Malegaon blast, the Mumbai ATS and CBI had charged SIMI activists for the terror act. However, the case was later handed over to NIA after Aseemanand had in his confessional statement said that the incident was, in fact, carried out by the same group which did blast in Malegaon in 2008.

Besides IM, LeT, JeM, SIMI and al-Qaida, the existing list of banned terror outfits includes LTTE, Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, ULFA, Deendar Anjuman, CPI (Maoist), People's Liberation Army (PLA) and others.....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JUFUvMjAxMS8wOS8xOSNBcjAwNjAw&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Disaster Response: ... need to strengthen NDRF by raising more Battalions .. Is govt. serious to make the institution a force to reckon with?

Key personnel-crunch hobbles NDMA's Himalayan quake ops

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 21, 2011, 01.36AM IST

NEW DELHI: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India's apex disaster management body, is not only working without a full-time secretary, but also sans four key members, including one who is supposed to look after its earthquake division.

Four out of nine members of the NDMA had retired long ago. The body, headed by the Prime Minister, has, however, been running without their replacements. Consequently, one of the key functions of the NDMA, which is to coordinate with states on disaster issues, has suffered.

"There is no one in the Authority who can coordinate affairs relating to earthquake after N V C Menon retired," said an official, referring to the sudden need of an expert, who can coordinate with specialists after the Himalayan quake that rocked Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar last Sunday.

Besides Menon, three other members - Lt Gen (retired) J R Bhardwaj, Mohan Kanda and K M Singh - too had retired long ago. The NDMA has only five out of nine members, with one among them - Shashidhar Reddy - being its vice-chairman.

The TOI on Tuesday reported that this Central disaster management body, which was set up in September, 2005, as the main disaster-related policy-making and coordinating authority, did not even have a full-time secretary after the 1977-batch IAS officer Noor Mohammad retired about two months ago.

Do these vacancies really matter? Officials working in the Authority feel that the NDMA is a victim of apathy, despite doing a lot of work in the past. "It seems government's priority lies somewhere else like tackling corruption, inflation and terrorism," said an official.

A section within the body, however, believes that these vacancies have nothing to do with the relief-and- rescue efforts in quake-hit Sikkim. They say the entire disaster management policy under the NDMA Act, 2005, was devised in such a way that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) - a vital wing of the Authority - could rush to affected areas without wasting any time.

The NDRF - a brainchild of the present Union home secretary R K Singh when he was the joint secretary (disaster management) during his earlier stint in the ministry - has eight well-trained battalions, with two more being raised following its success during the 2007 Kosi floods in Bihar and also in other relief operations in the past.

An official said: "The current strength of the NDRF is inadequate. There is an urgent need to increase its strength by raising more battalions. Though some of the states like Bihar, Orissa and Gujarat have taken steps to raise similar battalions at state-level, the others did not heed to the suggestion of the Authority."

Referring to states' lacklustre approach, the official pointed out that had Sikkim raised such a force, it would not have made the state to wait for such a long to reach NDRF and Army personnel there in Gangtok and other interior areas due to obstructions on road between Bagdogra and the state Capital.

Now, the NDRF Battalions are located in Guwahati, Kolkata, Mundali, Arakkonam, Pune, Gandhinagar, Bhatinda and Greater Noida. Each Battalion has 1,158 personnel, canine squad and special sophisticated equipment for collapsed structure, search and rescue, water rescue, ambulances, Hazmat vehicles and water tankers. Two new battalions, which are being raised, will be located in Patna and Vijayawada..........http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAxMS8wOS8yMSNBcjAyMjAw&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Have the top cops actually listened to what the PM said? Will it turn out to be another police junket?

Cross-border terror camps reactivated: PM

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 17, 2011, 03.13AM IST

NEW DELHI: Amid home ministry's recent claim that around 2,500 "fully trained" Kashmiri militants are ready to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said that the "cross-border camps for terrorists" were being "reactivated" and there were attempts to induct fresh batches of militants into the country.

Urging security and intelligence agencies to ensure that "such attempts" are foiled through smooth and coordinated functioning, Singh said there was no room for complacency on the security front and mentioned that the "recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Delhi are grim reminders of the challenges posed by terrorism to our security".

He was addressing top police brass and security officials of the country at a conference organized by the Intelligence Bureau.

Though the Prime Minister did not go into specifics about the "cross-border camps", his remarks reflect what the home ministry recently said about 'activities' across the border. The matter was also discussed in detail when security officials dwelt on the issue during their deliberations on 'terrorism' on the inaugural day of the conference on Thursday.

The home ministry, in response to a question in Rajya Sabha during the recent monsoon session, had said there were reports that around 2,500 fully trained Kashmiri militants were ready to infiltrate into J&K from across the border/LoC.

Officials in the home ministry said that the "cross-border camps" were being reactivated as terrorist organizations, based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), would try to increase infiltration attempts before the onset of winter.

Asking top police brass to remain one step ahead of adversaries, the Prime Minister said: "As the 26/11 (2008 Mumbai terror attack) tragedy showed, terrorists use the latest technologies for communication and real time information sharing. We have to remain one step ahead.....I hope that the NATGRID would enable seamless retrieval and dissemination of data critical to the task of anticipating and pre-empting terrorist attacks".

Dwelling on the situation in J&K, the Prime Minister said: "The summer has been peaceful and a record number of tourists, yatris and pilgrims have visited the state....The real challenge now will be to meet the high expectations of the people as peace is restored."

He said: "We have initiated a process of broad-based consultation to find a way forward in J&K. We need to give the processes of dialogue and democracy a chance to secure a just and honourable settlement that meets the aspirations of all sections of the people."

Noting that these are difficult and challenging times for the police, Singh said: "Our social fabric continues to be targeted by organised terrorism, abetted by misguided zeal and false propaganda among youth and marginalised sections of society. We have to contend with Left-wing militancy, parochial and chauvinistic movements, and tensions caused by socio-economic imbalances and iniquities and rapid urbanization.".......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTEvMDkvMTcjQXIwMTEwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Police role ... Is it perceived or real? ... police themselves are blamed for this perception

Perceived bias against minorities should be removed: PM

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 17, 2011, 03.08AM IST 

NEW DELHI: Underlining the need to upgrade the professional skills of police personnel and inculcating in them the "right attitude" towards the public, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday asked the security agencies to take steps in removing a "perceived bias" of law enforcement agencies against the minorities.

"The existence of such a perception is inimical to effective policing, which must necessarily draw upon the confidence and cooperation of all sections of the population it serves", said Singh, asking police chiefs to consider ways to deal with the causes of such perceptions.

He was addressing directors-general and inspectors-general of police at a conference organized here by the Intelligence Bureau.

Noting that the constabulary remains the mainstay of police forces constituting 87% of their total strength, the Prime Minister said: "Improving the image of the constabulary is therefore critical to building public trust in the police."

He said job of a constable was arduous and hazardous. Besides the constabulary was overstretched and performed multifarious duties without getting basic facilities.

"Many of them find it difficult to get suitable accommodation and are even forced to live in slum areas. All our police stations do not provide basic facilities for women constables. It is not realistic to expect high levels of efficiency unless proper attention is paid to the living and working conditions of our men and women," Singh said.

Stressing that police personnel must also be "adequately trained to upgrade their professional skills", he said: "Promotions could be linked with training, as is done in the Army."

Highlighting their role in the present security scenario, the Prime Minister said human intelligence capabilities need to be improved. He said: "The grassroots information and intelligence collection systems that have traditionally been a part of policing have languished or fallen into disuse in some places. The role of a vigilant and effective beat constable can be vital in checking the activities of networks, which otherwise operate under radar. Some reorientation in the functioning at these cutting edge levels is necessary and the role of community policing should be emphasized."

The Prime Minister also said the government was trying to address shortage of manpower in state police forces on a war footing.

"At the meeting of the National Integration Council last week, the need for a well-trained and equipped force to deal with riots was underscored. The Rapid Action Force has been discharging such a function with distinction," he said.

He added that he would, however, like the conference to consider ways and means of scaling up the availability of such trained personnel and formations in the state police forces.

On naxalism, the Prime Minister said: "There have been some successes on the ground. But if we seek a decisive change in the situation, then a huge collective and coordinated effort is required both by the Centre and the states acting in concert."

Naxalism : A big question mark over Mamata's recent move

No decline in violence in Red corridor: Chidambaram

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 16, 2011, 03.15AM IST

NEW DELHI: The CPI (Maoist), an umbrella organization of all naxal outfits in India, has added at least four companies to the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army and turned the Jangal Mahal area in West Bengal as its "guerrilla base" to intensify operations against security forces and other state machineries.

Union home minister P Chidambaram disclosed this during the conference of police chiefs here on Thursday.

The home minister's remark assumes significance in light of the recent move of the Mamata Banerjee-led government in Bengal to go slow against Maoists in the Jangal Mahal area, despite warnings from intelligence and security agencies that the step would only help the ultras to regroup and re-arm themselves.

Addressing the top cops of the country, Chidambaram said:" The Left Wing Extremism (naxalism) is the most violent movement in the country. The CPI (Maoist) is the most violent organization in the country. I have always maintained that dealing with Left Wing Extremism is a shared responsibility of the Centre and the states".

He said although the number of incidents and the number of casualties seem to indicate a decrease in the level of violence, this is largely attributable to the changed situation in West Bengal.

He, however, said: "I regret to point out that there is no significant decline in violence in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa. Even in West Bengal, there are reports that the state unit has been instructed by the CPI (Maoist) to develop guerrilla bases in Jangal Mahal and to intensify the conflict. The CPI (Maoist) has added at least four companies to the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army and its goal remains seizure of power through an armed liberation struggle".

Emphasizing that "the Central government has shouldered its share of responsibility in dealing with the Left Wing Extremism", the home minister said:" We have deployed 71 battalions of CAPFs as against 37 in 2009. The budget allocation under SRE Scheme has been increased to Rs 337 crore in 2011-12 as against only Rs 80 crore in 2008-09. Likewise, the budget allocation under SIS scheme has been increased to Rs 140 crore in 2011-12 as against only Rs 30 crore in 2009-10. We have offered to fund 400 fortified police stations at a cost of Rs 2 crore per police station. We have sanctioned the raising of 13 Special IR Battalions that will have security and engineering components to support and implement development works."

Chidambaram informed that more helicopters are being inducted, and other technological support is also being provided. The Integrated Action Plan has placed Rs 3,300 crore with 60 districts, and 67,175 works are under implementation. "Eighteen more districts will be added in 2012-13 and I am told that the ministry of rural development will implement the scheme next year with the changes suggested by the Conference of District Collectors held two days ago. In addition, more funds will be provided under the flagship schemes," he added.

Urging the DGPs to take ownership of counter-insurgency measures and devise short and medium-term strategies against LWE, Chidambaram said, "The cooperation between the Centre and the states has yielded good results, but there is still a long distance to travel and more years of hard work."......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTEvMDkvMTYjQXIwMTAwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Terror : Delhi High Court Blast - first two arrests ... Cops are hopeful to get some leads but not confident

2 J&K men held for Delhi high court blast

Vishwa Mohan & Sanjay Khajuria,TNN
Sep 15, 2011, 04.12AM IST 

NEW DELHI/JAMMU: In the first positive development for investigators probing the Delhi High Court blast, the NIA arrested two persons from J&K for sending an email claiming that terror outfit HuJI was behind the attack.

After sustained interrogation, the two admitted to sending the email and have identified the person who asked them to do so. The claims of the two suspects and the version of the person they have named are being tallied and matched with other details.

When asked if this was a potential breakthrough, a home ministry source said, "We are keeping our fingers crossed. We have to ensure that no innocent person is framed."

Shariq Ahmed and Abid Hussain were arrested on the basis of a forensic report received by the NIA of the computer hard disc that was used by one of them to send the email from , stating that the blast was carried out by HuJI.

"One of the two arrested in Kishtwar has sent the email. It is now confirmed. Their role in the blast is, however, not known. They are being interrogated to find out the real motive behind sending the email," said an official.

"Some people have been arrested and they are being interrogated. We have clues. There is progress also. But we do not want to disclose whatever progress we have made as it will hamper the investigation," Union home secretary R K Singh had said earlier in the evening.

This is the first arrest made by the police in connection with the first terror mail, sent from a Kishtwar cyber cafe nearly three hours after the blast. They were arrested the day the Kolkata Special Task Force held a 14-year-old school student, who played a prank and mischievously sent two emails out of the four - second and fourth - from , claiming that the blast was carried out by Indian Mujahideen. The boy had sent the mails from his BlackBerry using a SIM card of the Kolkata circle.

Earlier, the Gujarat Police had solved the mystery of the third email on Monday after they arrested one Monu Oza who too had played a prank. Oza had sent the mail from a Yahoo account. All these emails were sent between September 7 and 9.

The duo arrested in J&K were produced before principal district and sessions judge N L Manhas in Kishtwar, who remanded them to seven days of police custody. They have been booked under IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 134-A (attack on government servant on duty).

They face charges of hacking of computer system under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act. The cyber cafe - from where the email was allegedly sent - has been sealed. Sources, however, said neither of the two had any past criminal or militancy-related record.

About the second and fourth emails, additional commissioner of police (STF) Rajiv Kumar told reporters in Kolkata that the teenager from Jharkhand sent two emails to media houses claiming responsibility for the blasts posing as a member of Indian Mujahideen.

"After interrogating him, we are sure that the e-mails were sent mischievously and he has no connection with terror groups and is not responsible for the Delhi High Court blasts," a news agency quoted Kumar as saying.