Chandigarh fast-tracks work to set up cyber security centre

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 5

The UT Administration has fast-tracked the process of establishing a cyber security centre in the city to deal with the ever-growing cases of cybercrime.

All aspects of the proposed centre were discussed in detail during a meeting with senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Chandigarh Police here yesterday, said UT Adviser Dharam Pal. It was decided to prepare a proposal for setting up the centre and send it to the MHA for approval at the earliest, he added.

As cyber criminals are on the prowl, the city has witnessed a steep increase in such cases in the past few years. In 2017, the police had received 2,242 complaints and the number swelled to 3,167 in 2018 and further rose to 4,793 in 2019. Nearly 6,300 complaints of cybercrime were received in 2020, while 3,306 complaints had been filed till July 18 last year.

“Cyber security will be one of the main challenges in the coming years and we want to lead the way in the region in meeting the new-age challenges,” said the Adviser. Apart from research and analysis work, strategies would also be a device in anticipation of future challenges, he said, adding that the centre was most likely to be established within this year under the supervision of the police.

Earlier, officials of the DRDO gave a presentation on the prospects of drone attacks and how to deal with these even though the city has no specific threat from drones. The UT Adviser said anti-drone technology would also be part of the proposed centre. Over security threats and the possibility of misuse of drones by anti-social elements, the UT Administration had recently banned flying of drones and low-flying objects in the city.

On naming of the centre, UT Director General of Police Praveer Ranjan said it was most likely to be named as Centre for Cyber Security Operation.

Recently, the Chandigarh Police had set up cyber desks at all police stations to lessen the burden on the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell, which is unable to focus on special cases. Several categories of cybercrime have been defined, which will be dealt by the police stations.

Cyber criminals on the prowl

As cyber criminals are on the prowl, the city has witnessed an increase in cases. In 2017, 2,242 complaints were received and the number swelled to 3,167 in 2018 and rose to 4,793 in 2019. Nearly 6,300 complaints were received in 2020 and 3,306 till July 18 last year.