State doesn't want to leave anything to chance when it comes to terror attacks

Though the state government has not so far received any specific threat of terrorist attack during the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, the state has made a strong representation to the Centre for allotment of more central paramilitary forces (CPMF) to maintain law and order during the polls and also for the protection of vital installations on Saurashtra and South Gujarat coast.

State additional chief secretary, home, Balwant Sinh told DNA, "We have demanded more companies of central paramilitary forces to deal with possible terrorist attacks in big cities like Ahmedabad, Surat,Vadodara and Rajkot and for protection of vital installations in coastal towns of Jamnagar, Kandla and Dahej where big oil refineries and other installations are located." He said the state has not received any intelligence input of possible terrorist strikes during the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in April-May, but the state government has, as a precautionary measure sought deployment of more paramilitary forces. Preliminary discussions on the law and order situation in Gujarat were held in Delhi when Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalswamy had convened a meeting with the chief secretaries and DGPs of various states early last month.

It is learnt that top officials from the state who were present at the meeting had pleaded that this time the state should be allocated more companies of BSF, CRPF and ITBP to assist the local police in conducting elections in a free and fair atmosphere. At least 40 to 50 additional companies of forces are expected to be despatched to Gujarat in view of the recent terrorist attack in Ahmedabad and planting of powerful bombs in the industrial hub of Surat.

The Union government had sent 60 companies of CPMF to the state in the last Lok Sabha election held in 2004, but the entire scenario has changed this time, prompting the state government not to take any chances. As elections for all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state are likely to be conducted in a single phase, more security personnel would be needed to man the 42,281 polling booths in Gujarat. The state has more than 3.67 crore voters, of which 1.88 crore are men and 1.75 crore women. In addition to the central security forces, more than 60,000 state police and SRP jawans would be deployed for election duty.

Anil Pathak/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication