Anti-terror net widens, IB to cover 825 locations

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 21

Keeping in view the country’s need to deal with increased internal and external security challenges, the government has given the green light to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to widen its counter-terror grid by expanding its network to cover 825 locations from the current 374 that work under the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) set up in 2001 after the Kargil war in 1999.

Sources in the security establishment said the MAC received around 150 inputs a day, ranging from terror alerts from troubled J&K, North-East, Maoist zones and suspicious terror activities in other areas. “A total of 374 locations are presently on the network. In phase III, the network is being extended to 475 districts, selected in consultation with director generals (DGs) of state police. Out of 475 identified locations, 451 have been found feasible for providing connectivity, out of which 174 have already been connected. When completed, the network will cover 825 locations around the country,” sources said.

The MAC is a common platform for inputs coming in from various intelligence agencies where it is collated and passed on for further action. “For this purpose, the national capital was connected with 25 central member agencies and all state capitals. In state capitals, the network links the SMAC (housed in the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau/SIB), state police special branch and offices of all central and other counter-terror agencies. The government now plans to expand the MAC network base,” the MHA told the panel. — TNS