State to get QRT to counter hijacking

Kolkata: Following the first coordination meeting in the state for taking concrete steps against hijacking, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has okayed a quick reaction team (QRT), comprising commandos on a par with National Security Guards (NSG) and armed with sophisticated weapons to counter any capture or terrorist attacks on board.
The decision was taken at an aerodrome committee meeting on Wednesday. The discussions, held at the behest of home secretary G D Gautama, were long overdue (the last one was held in 2007). The aerodrome committee's meeting is particularly essential because the ministry of civil aviation in its Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) manual has laid down a number of anti-hijacking contingency plans, including the formation of a state QRT.
The state government has now formed a core sub-committee comprising representatives from NSG, CISF, Army and state police. The panel will be apprised of the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2010, that seeks to address some of the weaknesses in the existing hijacking law.
The sub-committee will meet twice a year and chalk out the various stages for implementation of the contingency plan. A senior official said, "The state government must set up a QRT according to Chapter VII of BCAS manual. The state in coordination with NSG and CISF must start recruiting commandos immediately."
02/01/10 Ajanta Chakraborty/Times of India

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Categories: Safety Jan 2011