Thursday, July 20 2006 17:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Shaken by the impact of the July 11 serial blasts, Maharashtra's state intelligence department (SID) has decided to go in for a makeover on the lines of the central Intelligence Bureau (IB).

The proposed revamped model will involve a permanent posting with sleuths trained in counter-terrorism apart from intelligence gathering.

Till recently, those posted in the once elite SID considered intelligence gathering as being dull and looked upon their stint with the department as a 'punishment posting'.

As if on a cue from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who during his visit to Mumbai last Friday following the July 11 serial blasts had stressed the need to strengthen intelligence gathering, the Vilasrao Deshmukh government has decided to revamp its intelligence gathering.

And, if Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who also holds the home portfolio, is to be believed, the department now will no longer be dull or be treated as punishment posting. It will see the SID with a permanently dedicated cadre, whose job will be gathering intelligence until they retire from service.

"A proposal to revamp the SID had been lying before the government for the last three years. The state cabinet has now sanctioned the proposal in the wake of the recent train bombings," Patil said.

"The new set-up will be on the lines of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). It will comprise a dedicated cadre on permanent posting," Patil told sources.

"Like the central intelligence agency, the department will be headed by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from outside the department. The lower-rung personnel from inspectors and below will be inducted into the department on permanent basis," added a senior officer with SID.

"Usually, officers posted with the SID who had acquired intelligence-gathering skills were transferred out after the mandatory three-year stint. Much of the hard earned skills were wasted by these officers once transferred to non-intelligence gathering units," the officer said.

To make the posting more attractive to its cadre, the government is offering incentive that includes a significant increase in salary along with some perks.

"The government will recruit new police sub-inspectors in the SID, train them in the skills of counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering," the officer said.

"Now we will have officers who will function permanently in the department," he said.

"Officers posted in the SID lacked motivation and waited for plump postings at the end of the tenure in the department. But now such scenario will be behind us," he added.

This apart, the department will rope in officers with expertise in dealing with terror groups and with sound knowledge of the city's underworld network.

"The government is also mulling creating a special fund for the SID to intercept organised crime cartels and terror networks like the Lashker-e-Taiba, which has established several terror sleeper cells in the city and across the state," the officer said.

The department will also strengthen its network of informers across the state, and its dedicated cadres will be taught Urdu, specialised skills of shadowing suspects and maintaining data bases of all suspects and informants.

Besides, functioning as an independent unit, the department will also liaise with the IB and the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).