Delivering the first NSG raising day lecture, the West Bengal Governor said it was a "major mistake" to have (created) the four hubs in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.
The government had created the four regional centres of the 'black cats' in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008 for a quick response of the National Security Guard (NSG) which had received a lot of flak for reaching late to flush out the terrorists during the strikes.
"I am concerned about the current emphasis on increasing the size and numbers of the NSG. I also have reservations about the establishment of four regional hubs. The NSG is an elite special force intended to meet a specific situation and not intended to confront the normal law and order situation.
"Its strength does not lie in its numbers, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it consists of the bravest of brave personnel, of great virtue and ability, specially trained for undertaking the most difficult tasks... Increasing numbers (of NSG men), to my mind, is bound to dilute both quality and capability of the force," he told a packed audience of top NSG commanders and those from various national security organisations.
The former IPS officer, who retired as the head of the Intelligence Bureau in 1992, also said that NSG should adopt a model where it is leaner, more mobile and operationally agile force as he suggested to "those in charge" that the force should also have role in counter-proliferation and nuclear security. (MORE)