NSG's Kolkata hub to serve east, northeast: Chidambaram

Kolkata: The National Security Guard (NSG) hub at Kolkata with 462 personnel will be the regional centre for eastern India serving the states of both east and northeast, union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here on Saturday.

"The NSG hub was located here July 1, 2009. We had promised the country that within six months (after the 2008 Mumbai attacks) we will have NSG hubs in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and we fulfilled that promise," Chidambarm said while inaugurating the permanent structures of the NSG facility in Badu area of North 24-Parganas.

Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which showed the necessity for rapid response teams, the central government decided to station NSG contingents at permanent facilities in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata for swift movement of the commandos to the action area.

"The hub now has about 241 personnel. But this hub in Kolkata, after it is augmented with additional facilities that will be created in Rajarhat (on the city's north eastern outskirts), will have 462 personnel here," he said.

Chidambaram said the reason behind making the Kolkata NSG hub was to ensure it catered to the needs of the states of both eastern and north eastern India. It is set up on a plot of 19.75 acres given by the Airport Authority of India.

"When the full facility is created, it will be virtually double the facility that is created in Mumbai or Chennai...we are happy to acknowledge that in December 2011 the state government agreed to give us 34.35 acres of land in Newtown-Rajarhat area," he said.