Click to play videoNew Delhi: Saturday's serial blasts have spurred the Centre into ramping up security in the Capital. A special meeting of the Union Cabinet on Wednesday saw the Government rallying behind Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the end.
The two-hour-long meeting avoided discussion on a new minister of state for internal security and Shivraj Patil, the 'Sonia loyalist' who was being targetted by the Opposition has been able to survive yet another onslaught.
External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee said, "The Home Ministry has suggested some measures which have been approved."
For the time being, the Government plans to tackle terror by:
- Giving more teeth to existing laws
- Recruiting more personnel at the grassroot level
- Increasing the flow of information from the thana level
- Making better use of CCTVs in crowded places
- Using upgraded technology
The Prime Minister himself admitted at a conference of Governors that there was a vast information gap. He agreed to consider the proposal of a federal agency which would assist state police.
He also promised to look into suggestions concerning changes in existing laws. His address followed soon after Congress Spokesperson Jayanthi Natrajan made the demand on behalf of the party.
"We need a strong federal agency to combat terror," she had said.
The UPA Government has decided not to make any drastic changes. There is a feeling within a section of the party that Patil is not being able to deliver, but the Home Minister has been able to get away not just because he remains a firm 10 Janpath loyalist, but also because the Government doesn't want to axe the Home Minister in election season for that would amount to admitting that his ministry is failing to meet popular expectations.
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