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About 100 NSG commandos will be deployed in Delhi and its surrounding areas for providing anti-terrorist and anti-hijack operations on a 24X7 basis.
This decision has been adopted by government in wake of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage which happened last year during which the Black Cats had eliminated 9 of the 10 terrorists during a 60 hour long operation.
"The decision to keep 120 NSG commandos on 24X7 standby was taken after the Mumbai attacks. In August, we acquired some land adjacent to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The construction of 120 barracks, which will house the commandos and their officers, is on in full swing," said a senior security official.
"We expect to complete the construction by December this year. These barracks would be pre-fabricated or semi-permanent. An office is also being raised from where the commandos would be functioning. Construction is also being carried out to keep weapons and gazettes and equipment," the official said.
Sources said the presence of NSG men round the clock would save at least two hours and make the force more lethal and potent.
"We had our men deployed at the airport. But these men were going home after performing their duties and others were replacing them. Now they can be permanently positioned there and perform round the clock," said another security official.
"These men would be so close to the airport that they just have to open a gate to carry out operations full throttle. A helipad is also being constructed to airlift the commandos for swift action," the official added.
The NSGs will be deployed in all the places according to the requirements.
"These first 120 commandos would be the first to react or reach in any terror or hijack situation. They would be the first to be dispatched to the incident site. Simultaneously, the second or third team would be sent from our training centre in Manesar in Haryana to back them up," said the official.
"It would help us in cutting our response time significantly and help in quick mobilisation of troops. We have learnt our lessons from the Mumbai terror attacks where we reached seven hours after the firing had begun," the official told IANS.
Learning lessons from the Mumbai tragedy, the government has opened four NSG hubs in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, each having a strength of 241 personnel.
