Keeping terror infra intact is like riding a tiger: Home Min

Pakistan must realise that keeping terror infrastructure intact is like riding a tiger and should take concrete steps to end the scourge, home minister P Chidambaram said here on Friday.

"They have to dismantle the terror infrastructure. It is not enough to plan one or two measures. The entire terrorist infrastructure must be dismantled," he told reporters here.

"If the terror infrastructure remains intact, it is like riding a tiger. You know what happens to somebody who rides a tiger. They have to dismantle terror infrastructure and declare zero tolerance to any kind of terrorist activity," he said.

On the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, Chidambaram said "We feel sorry. We condemn it. Even if it was on Pakistani players we would have condemned it".

Replying to a query on the IPL schedules, he said some re-scheduling of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches is "unavoidable" as schedules of general elections and the cricket tournament are "overlapping completely".

"The IPL schedule and election schedule virtually overlap each other. I don't blame the IPL. When they announced the schedule, they did know the election schedule. When the EC announced its schedule, naturally they did not take note of it. But I have to take note of the fact that the two schedules are completely overlapping," he said.

"I did not say that IPL should be postponed. I am trying to help them and will help IPL hold the matches. Some rescheduling seems unavoidable," Chidambaram said.

The second edition of the high-profile tournament has come under a cloud of uncertainty in the wake of the deadly terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore and the general elections in the country which coincide with the league that starts April 10.

The home minister, however, said, India is safe and having cricket matches here would not be a problem.

"I want cricket to be played in India. Cricket is safe and the players are safe in India," he said.

Chidambaram was talking to reporters after reviewing the security situation in the state with chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, home minister K Jana Reddy and top officials of the state government.

The meeting is a follow-up to the chief ministers' conference held in New Delhi in January this year.

The state government has done remarkably well in dealing with Maoists problem as only one major incident happened in recent times.

The elite 'greyhounds' anti-Naxal force has been a success story, Chidambaram said.

There have, however, been a couple of terror attacks including on Gokul Chat Bhandar and Lumbini Park, he said.

The probe into the Lumbini Park attack is nearing completion and chargesheet will be filed soon, he said.

Chidambaram said the state was forming a 256-strong commando force on the lines of NSG.

"They will be trained by the NSG and will be as effective as the NSG," he adding, the process of setting up the proposed
NSG hub in Hyderabad is also underway.

"I have discussed the matter with the chief minister. The deadline for establishing the hub and making it operational is the end of June," he said.

Intelligence machinery in the state has been strengthened with the Central Intelligence Bureau's (IB) office in Hyderabad and the state government's intelligence agencies working round the clock, he said.

Stressing the importance of improving urban policing, the home minister said, "Urban areas face graver threats. Urban policing will have to sharply improve. There is nothing as business as usual anymore".

On the coastal security front, Chidambaram suggested that the Andhra Pradesh government to adopt the Kerala model of providing mobile phones to fishermen in coastal areas.

"If they (fishermen) see suspicious activities or person in the sea, they can inform the local police," he said.