PC hopes anti-terror body will get nod by yr end

The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) — the proposed superstructure to coordinate anti-terror activities — could get the government's nod over the next 10 days.

The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) — the proposed superstructure to coordinate anti-terror activities — could get the government's nod over the next 10 days.

Home minister P Chidambaram told Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the final note for setting up NCTC had been sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security.

"I sincerely hope that the decision will be taken before the end of this calendar year," he said, replying to supplementaries in Parliament.

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But it is not clear how far the ministry has been able to convince other stakeholders to step back and place their units under the proposed NCTC.

Chidambaram had mooted the concept of NCTC in end-2009 to create an overarching body to counter terrorism.

This goal included placing necessary paraphernalia under the centre to prevent a terrorist attack, contain possible terrorist attack, and responding to a terrorist attack by inflicting pain upon the perpetrators.

In response to a query by Congress MP Manish Tewari on allowing the Research & Analysis Wing to intercept phone calls, Chidambaram said the authorisation to intercept phone calls to R&AW was limited to the mandate of the agency.