New Delhi: Toughening its stand on counter-terrorism, the government has decided to operationalise from March 1 the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a body meant to coordinate operations against terror groups.
Three weeks after the Ministry of Home Affairs got the nod from Cabinet Committee of Security, it unveiled its plan of the anti-terror body which has been given powers to arrest and carry out searches and will have a separate wing for operations.
"It (NCTC) shall come into force with effect from March 1,....the officers of the operations divisions of the NCTC shall have the power to arrest and power to search under Section 43A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967," the order
said.
The unit would be headed by a director of the rank of Additional Director General with three units – gathering intelligence, analysis of intelligence and carrying out
operations -- and each of these division would be headed by a joint director of Intelligence Bureau.
This is the second such organisation set up by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram post 26/11 after the National Investigation Agency.
The NCTC will have the power to requisition services of the National Security Guard or the elite Black Cat commandos.
Official sources said through the NCTC will be part of IB initially, in the long run it will come into existence as a separate entity.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 06, 2012, 20:08