Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai chosen as NSG hubs

Putting an end to competitive claims by many state governments, the Centre announced that the four additional NSG hubs to be set up in the country would be located in Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Government had decided to base NSG personnel at multiple locations in a bid to cut down travel time in the event of an emergency. As of now, the NSG is based only in Manesar, near Gurgaon. A number of state governments had been lobbying with the Centre to have the hubs in their respective areas, including Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Bangalore was also one of the contenders for an NSG centre. Home Ministry sources said the final locations were decided on the basis of vulnerability of the surrounding areas and the need to bring most of the country within easy reach of NSG commandos. Senior Home Ministry officials today made an assessment of the requirements of the NSG in view of its expansion plans and also discussed the possible timeline for the new hubs to come into operation.NSG Director General J K Dutt told reporters after the meeting that the existing strength of the force would be used first. “Augmentation will happen in due process, but the new hubs will start functioning before that. We have the requisite number of officers to initiate the process,” he said.