IT took the attack on Mumbai by a group of gunmen who arrived by boat, entered the city undetected and then went about their business of death and destruction to make India’s security establishment awaken to the threat the country faces.
Much before 26/11, the Mumbai police were to be armed and upgraded. But, as the panel conducting investigations after the terrorist attack discovered, this did not happen due to several instances of delay and indecision. The delay had other ramifications. The panel, consisting of veteran bureaucrat Ram Pradhan and former RAW official V Balachandran, said: “The draft weapon policy of changing this into 7.62 SLRs, 5.56 Insas rifles, AK-47s and 9-mm carbines was approved on June 30, 2008. Due to the delay in approving the draft weapon policy, the cost shot up from Rs 168 crore to Rs 210 crore.” Such indecision and delay plagued every State and Central government prior to 26/11. According to sources, the government has already purchased, or is in the process of purchasing, arms and equipment worth over Rs 2,000 crore. By about 2014, the figure will cross Rs 10,000 crore. And this does not include Army purchases.
It is doubtful whether the government would have spent even a fourth of this amount on arms purchases if 26/11 had not occurred.
Let us start with the Mumbai police.
After 26/11, the Maharashtra government came out with an initial plan to modernize its police force at a cost of Rs 120 crore. An array of weapons and bullet- proof vehicles has already been provided to the Mumbai police’s first responders, who are supposed to man the city and respond to every crisis situation. State-of-the-art weapons are being imported from the US and Germany for a force that had mainly .303 rifles. It is being provided Smith and Wesson pistols, MP 9 tactical pistols, grenade launchers and bulletproof combat vehicles. Mumbai police sources say the modernization will continue and Rs 120 crore is the budget for just the first phase.
Now, the Central government.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said, at the 25th Raising Day celebrations of the National Security Guard (NSG): “We have authorized NSG requisition of civil aircraft. NSG is in the process of inducting high technology and new weapons. The process of inducting sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons is in the final stages.” It is well known that, during the Mumbai attack, it took the NSG seven hours to reach Mumbai from Manesar, Haryana. “After 26/11, the role of the NSG has been redefined.
We have established four hubs at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and two regional centres with an essential force of 5,000 each,” said Chidambaram.
The Ministry of Defence has given the go-ahead for acquisition of several sophisticated items for the NSG to combat an organized terror attack – grenade launchers, night vision and reflex sight equipment, radio-controlled detonators, remote detonating devices and guided air delivery systems. Keeping in mind that the equipment is for use by over 20,000 commandos, Ministry officials claim the purchase for the NSG will go beyond Rs 1,000 crore in the next couple of years.
The government is also purchasing Aerostat air defence radars from Israel and fast interception vessels for the Navy. On the general list of purchase for all commando units of all security agencies are machine guns with night vision, under-barrel grenade launchers, and remote detonating devices. In March this year, the Ministry cleared urgent acquisition of a variety of arms and equipment, the bulk of which will be used by the Ghatak commandos attached to every infantry battalion. The Ministry was reportedly looking at the US government’s FMS (foreign military sales) route to equip the commando units. Orders are being placed for the Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns too.
During the Mumbai attack, the Navy was alarmed by the proximity of the terrorists’ strike area to its Western Command headquarters. The Navy is reportedly raising a 1,000-strong Sagar Prahari Bal to protect its assets. It is in urgent need of 80 fast-interception craft. According to sources, balloon- mounted air defence radars that can detect a low-flying aircraft within a range of 500 km have also been sanctioned. The numerical strength of personnel is also being increased. Vacancies against sanctioned strength in the Maharashtra police stood at 230,567 on January 1, 2008. Now, it is down to less than 150,000. According to Home Ministry sources, the States have been instructed to bring the deficit to zero by the end of March 2010. To arm this additional force will entail further cost. The Ministry has sanctioned a 20 per cent increase in the number of Coast Guard vessels. Manpower will also be increased. And they will not be rifle wielding personnel like the state police.
According to one estimate, the government will spend about Rs 8,000 crore for the Coast Guard over five to seven years. The list initially sanctioned includes 40 new patrol vessels, 30 helicopters, 12 surveillance aircraft and 20 interceptor boats.
THE Army is short of 11,387 officers, against a current authorized strength of 46,615 (24.43 per cent deficit). The Navy is 1,512 officers short of its sanction of 8,797 (17.2 per cent deficit) and the Air Force needs 1,400 officers to meet its sanction of 12,128 (11.5 per cent deficit). The government is looking at ways to bridge these gaps.
The government is planning to go in for a Static Coastal Radar Chain that will employ a few hundred coastal radars. The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and National Technical Research Organization are slated to acquire updated technology. Observers estimate the total purchases in the next five years will go beyond Rs 10,000 crore. They emphasize that, even if the government purchases half of what it proposes to, that would be remarkable. However, with Chidambaram’s dynamic track record, it would not be surprising if the amount goes up to Rs 20,000 or beyond.
And all because we were attacked by Kesab & Co.

IT took the attack on Mumbai by a group of gunmen who arrived by boat, entered the city undetected and then went about their business of death and destruction to make India’s security establishment awaken to the threat the country faces.
Much before 26/11, the Mumbai police were to be armed and upgraded. But, as the panel conducting investigations after the terrorist attack discovered, this did not happen due to several instances of delay and indecision. The delay had other ramifications. The panel, consisting of veteran bureaucrat Ram Pradhan and former RAW official V Balachandran, said: “The draft weapon policy of changing this into 7.62 SLRs, 5.56 Insas rifles, AK-47s and 9-mm carbines was approved on June 30, 2008. Due to the delay in approving the draft weapon policy, the cost shot up from Rs 168 crore to Rs 210 crore.” Such indecision and delay plagued every State and Central government prior to 26/11. According to sources, the government has already purchased, or is in the process of purchasing, arms and equipment worth over Rs 2,000 crore. By about 2014, the figure will cross Rs 10,000 crore. And this does not include Army purchases.
It is doubtful whether the government would have spent even a fourth of this amount on arms purchases if 26/11 had not occurred.
Let us start with the Mumbai police.
After 26/11, the Maharashtra government came out with an initial plan to modernize its police force at a cost of Rs 120 crore. An array of weapons and bullet- proof vehicles has already been provided to the Mumbai police’s first responders, who are supposed to man the city and respond to every crisis situation. State-of-the-art weapons are being imported from the US and Germany for a force that had mainly .303 rifles. It is being provided Smith and Wesson pistols, MP 9 tactical pistols, grenade launchers and bulletproof combat vehicles. Mumbai police sources say the modernization will continue and Rs 120 crore is the budget for just the first phase.
Now, the Central government.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said, at the 25th Raising Day celebrations of the National Security Guard (NSG): “We have authorized NSG requisition of civil aircraft. NSG is in the process of inducting high technology and new weapons. The process of inducting sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons is in the final stages.” It is well known that, during the Mumbai attack, it took the NSG seven hours to reach Mumbai from Manesar, Haryana. “After 26/11, the role of the NSG has been redefined.
We have established four hubs at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and two regional centres with an essential force of 5,000 each,” said Chidambaram.
The Ministry of Defence has given the go-ahead for acquisition of several sophisticated items for the NSG to combat an organized terror attack – grenade launchers, night vision and reflex sight equipment, radio-controlled detonators, remote detonating devices and guided air delivery systems. Keeping in mind that the equipment is for use by over 20,000 commandos, Ministry officials claim the purchase for the NSG will go beyond Rs 1,000 crore in the next couple of years.
The government is also purchasing Aerostat air defence radars from Israel and fast interception vessels for the Navy. On the general list of purchase for all commando units of all security agencies are machine guns with night vision, under-barrel grenade launchers, and remote detonating devices. In March this year, the Ministry cleared urgent acquisition of a variety of arms and equipment, the bulk of which will be used by the Ghatak commandos attached to every infantry battalion. The Ministry was reportedly looking at the US government’s FMS (foreign military sales) route to equip the commando units. Orders are being placed for the Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns too.
During the Mumbai attack, the Navy was alarmed by the proximity of the terrorists’ strike area to its Western Command headquarters. The Navy is reportedly raising a 1,000-strong Sagar Prahari Bal to protect its assets. It is in urgent need of 80 fast-interception craft. According to sources, balloon- mounted air defence radars that can detect a low-flying aircraft within a range of 500 km have also been sanctioned. The numerical strength of personnel is also being increased. Vacancies against sanctioned strength in the Maharashtra police stood at 230,567 on January 1, 2008. Now, it is down to less than 150,000. According to Home Ministry sources, the States have been instructed to bring the deficit to zero by the end of March 2010. To arm this additional force will entail further cost. The Ministry has sanctioned a 20 per cent increase in the number of Coast Guard vessels. Manpower will also be increased. And they will not be rifle wielding personnel like the state police.
According to one estimate, the government will spend about Rs 8,000 crore for the Coast Guard over five to seven years. The list initially sanctioned includes 40 new patrol vessels, 30 helicopters, 12 surveillance aircraft and 20 interceptor boats.
THE Army is short of 11,387 officers, against a current authorized strength of 46,615 (24.43 per cent deficit). The Navy is 1,512 officers short of its sanction of 8,797 (17.2 per cent deficit) and the Air Force needs 1,400 officers to meet its sanction of 12,128 (11.5 per cent deficit). The government is looking at ways to bridge these gaps.
The government is planning to go in for a Static Coastal Radar Chain that will employ a few hundred coastal radars. The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and National Technical Research Organization are slated to acquire updated technology. Observers estimate the total purchases in the next five years will go beyond Rs 10,000 crore. They emphasize that, even if the government purchases half of what it proposes to, that would be remarkable. However, with Chidambaram’s dynamic track record, it would not be surprising if the amount goes up to Rs 20,000 or beyond.
And all because we were attacked by Kesab & Co.

IT took the attack on Mumbai by a group of gunmen who arrived by boat, entered the city undetected and then went about their business of death and destruction to make India’s security establishment awaken to the threat the country faces.
Much before 26/11, the Mumbai police were to be armed and upgraded. But, as the panel conducting investigations after the terrorist attack discovered, this did not happen due to several instances of delay and indecision. The delay had other ramifications. The panel, consisting of veteran bureaucrat Ram Pradhan and former RAW official V Balachandran, said: “The draft weapon policy of changing this into 7.62 SLRs, 5.56 Insas rifles, AK-47s and 9-mm carbines was approved on June 30, 2008. Due to the delay in approving the draft weapon policy, the cost shot up from Rs 168 crore to Rs 210 crore.” Such indecision and delay plagued every State and Central government prior to 26/11. According to sources, the government has already purchased, or is in the process of purchasing, arms and equipment worth over Rs 2,000 crore. By about 2014, the figure will cross Rs 10,000 crore. And this does not include Army purchases.
It is doubtful whether the government would have spent even a fourth of this amount on arms purchases if 26/11 had not occurred.
Let us start with the Mumbai police.
After 26/11, the Maharashtra government came out with an initial plan to modernize its police force at a cost of Rs 120 crore. An array of weapons and bullet- proof vehicles has already been provided to the Mumbai police’s first responders, who are supposed to man the city and respond to every crisis situation. State-of-the-art weapons are being imported from the US and Germany for a force that had mainly .303 rifles. It is being provided Smith and Wesson pistols, MP 9 tactical pistols, grenade launchers and bulletproof combat vehicles. Mumbai police sources say the modernization will continue and Rs 120 crore is the budget for just the first phase.
Now, the Central government.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said, at the 25th Raising Day celebrations of the National Security Guard (NSG): “We have authorized NSG requisition of civil aircraft. NSG is in the process of inducting high technology and new weapons. The process of inducting sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons is in the final stages.” It is well known that, during the Mumbai attack, it took the NSG seven hours to reach Mumbai from Manesar, Haryana. “After 26/11, the role of the NSG has been redefined.
We have established four hubs at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and two regional centres with an essential force of 5,000 each,” said Chidambaram.
The Ministry of Defence has given the go-ahead for acquisition of several sophisticated items for the NSG to combat an organized terror attack – grenade launchers, night vision and reflex sight equipment, radio-controlled detonators, remote detonating devices and guided air delivery systems. Keeping in mind that the equipment is for use by over 20,000 commandos, Ministry officials claim the purchase for the NSG will go beyond Rs 1,000 crore in the next couple of years.
The government is also purchasing Aerostat air defence radars from Israel and fast interception vessels for the Navy. On the general list of purchase for all commando units of all security agencies are machine guns with night vision, under-barrel grenade launchers, and remote detonating devices. In March this year, the Ministry cleared urgent acquisition of a variety of arms and equipment, the bulk of which will be used by the Ghatak commandos attached to every infantry battalion. The Ministry was reportedly looking at the US government’s FMS (foreign military sales) route to equip the commando units. Orders are being placed for the Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns too.
During the Mumbai attack, the Navy was alarmed by the proximity of the terrorists’ strike area to its Western Command headquarters. The Navy is reportedly raising a 1,000-strong Sagar Prahari Bal to protect its assets. It is in urgent need of 80 fast-interception craft. According to sources, balloon- mounted air defence radars that can detect a low-flying aircraft within a range of 500 km have also been sanctioned. The numerical strength of personnel is also being increased. Vacancies against sanctioned strength in the Maharashtra police stood at 230,567 on January 1, 2008. Now, it is down to less than 150,000. According to Home Ministry sources, the States have been instructed to bring the deficit to zero by the end of March 2010. To arm this additional force will entail further cost. The Ministry has sanctioned a 20 per cent increase in the number of Coast Guard vessels. Manpower will also be increased. And they will not be rifle wielding personnel like the state police.
According to one estimate, the government will spend about Rs 8,000 crore for the Coast Guard over five to seven years. The list initially sanctioned includes 40 new patrol vessels, 30 helicopters, 12 surveillance aircraft and 20 interceptor boats.
THE Army is short of 11,387 officers, against a current authorized strength of 46,615 (24.43 per cent deficit). The Navy is 1,512 officers short of its sanction of 8,797 (17.2 per cent deficit) and the Air Force needs 1,400 officers to meet its sanction of 12,128 (11.5 per cent deficit). The government is looking at ways to bridge these gaps.
The government is planning to go in for a Static Coastal Radar Chain that will employ a few hundred coastal radars. The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and National Technical Research Organization are slated to acquire updated technology. Observers estimate the total purchases in the next five years will go beyond Rs 10,000 crore. They emphasize that, even if the government purchases half of what it proposes to, that would be remarkable. However, with Chidambaram’s dynamic track record, it would not be surprising if the amount goes up to Rs 20,000 or beyond.
And all because we were attacked by Kesab & Co.

IT took the attack on Mumbai by a group of gunmen who arrived by boat, entered the city undetected and then went about their business of death and destruction to make India’s security establishment awaken to the threat the country faces.
Much before 26/11, the Mumbai police were to be armed and upgraded. But, as the panel conducting investigations after the terrorist attack discovered, this did not happen due to several instances of delay and indecision. The delay had other ramifications. The panel, consisting of veteran bureaucrat Ram Pradhan and former RAW official V Balachandran, said: “The draft weapon policy of changing this into 7.62 SLRs, 5.56 Insas rifles, AK-47s and 9-mm carbines was approved on June 30, 2008. Due to the delay in approving the draft weapon policy, the cost shot up from Rs 168 crore to Rs 210 crore.” Such indecision and delay plagued every State and Central government prior to 26/11. According to sources, the government has already purchased, or is in the process of purchasing, arms and equipment worth over Rs 2,000 crore. By about 2014, the figure will cross Rs 10,000 crore. And this does not include Army purchases.
It is doubtful whether the government would have spent even a fourth of this amount on arms purchases if 26/11 had not occurred.
Let us start with the Mumbai police.
After 26/11, the Maharashtra government came out with an initial plan to modernize its police force at a cost of Rs 120 crore. An array of weapons and bullet- proof vehicles has already been provided to the Mumbai police’s first responders, who are supposed to man the city and respond to every crisis situation. State-of-the-art weapons are being imported from the US and Germany for a force that had mainly .303 rifles. It is being provided Smith and Wesson pistols, MP 9 tactical pistols, grenade launchers and bulletproof combat vehicles. Mumbai police sources say the modernization will continue and Rs 120 crore is the budget for just the first phase.
Now, the Central government.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said, at the 25th Raising Day celebrations of the National Security Guard (NSG): “We have authorized NSG requisition of civil aircraft. NSG is in the process of inducting high technology and new weapons. The process of inducting sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons is in the final stages.” It is well known that, during the Mumbai attack, it took the NSG seven hours to reach Mumbai from Manesar, Haryana. “After 26/11, the role of the NSG has been redefined.
We have established four hubs at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and two regional centres with an essential force of 5,000 each,” said Chidambaram.
The Ministry of Defence has given the go-ahead for acquisition of several sophisticated items for the NSG to combat an organized terror attack – grenade launchers, night vision and reflex sight equipment, radio-controlled detonators, remote detonating devices and guided air delivery systems. Keeping in mind that the equipment is for use by over 20,000 commandos, Ministry officials claim the purchase for the NSG will go beyond Rs 1,000 crore in the next couple of years.
The government is also purchasing Aerostat air defence radars from Israel and fast interception vessels for the Navy. On the general list of purchase for all commando units of all security agencies are machine guns with night vision, under-barrel grenade launchers, and remote detonating devices. In March this year, the Ministry cleared urgent acquisition of a variety of arms and equipment, the bulk of which will be used by the Ghatak commandos attached to every infantry battalion. The Ministry was reportedly looking at the US government’s FMS (foreign military sales) route to equip the commando units. Orders are being placed for the Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns too.
During the Mumbai attack, the Navy was alarmed by the proximity of the terrorists’ strike area to its Western Command headquarters. The Navy is reportedly raising a 1,000-strong Sagar Prahari Bal to protect its assets. It is in urgent need of 80 fast-interception craft. According to sources, balloon- mounted air defence radars that can detect a low-flying aircraft within a range of 500 km have also been sanctioned. The numerical strength of personnel is also being increased. Vacancies against sanctioned strength in the Maharashtra police stood at 230,567 on January 1, 2008. Now, it is down to less than 150,000. According to Home Ministry sources, the States have been instructed to bring the deficit to zero by the end of March 2010. To arm this additional force will entail further cost. The Ministry has sanctioned a 20 per cent increase in the number of Coast Guard vessels. Manpower will also be increased. And they will not be rifle wielding personnel like the state police.
According to one estimate, the government will spend about Rs 8,000 crore for the Coast Guard over five to seven years. The list initially sanctioned includes 40 new patrol vessels, 30 helicopters, 12 surveillance aircraft and 20 interceptor boats.
THE Army is short of 11,387 officers, against a current authorized strength of 46,615 (24.43 per cent deficit). The Navy is 1,512 officers short of its sanction of 8,797 (17.2 per cent deficit) and the Air Force needs 1,400 officers to meet its sanction of 12,128 (11.5 per cent deficit). The government is looking at ways to bridge these gaps.
The government is planning to go in for a Static Coastal Radar Chain that will employ a few hundred coastal radars. The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and National Technical Research Organization are slated to acquire updated technology. Observers estimate the total purchases in the next five years will go beyond Rs 10,000 crore. They emphasize that, even if the government purchases half of what it proposes to, that would be remarkable. However, with Chidambaram’s dynamic track record, it would not be surprising if the amount goes up to Rs 20,000 or beyond.
And all because we were attacked by Kesab & Co.