Patil expresses concern over Tiger air capability

India's Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has expressed concern over the reported air capability of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that could be a threat to the vital installations in South India.

Stressing the need to synergise the efforts of all key partners for a safer and more efficient functioning of the installations in various sectors, he said the government would take all steps to protect the atomic energy installations and ports.

Inaugurating a "Security of Installations in Key Sectors" conference on Monday, Patil said the government was aware of the need to provide foolproof, multi-tier security to key atomic plants, establishments of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other set-ups in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The conference was attended by heads of installations along with their security chiefs.

"There is a need to pool our efforts, have better coordination and upgrade our technological skills to secure our installations, which are critical to our country," he said. There was need to protect the supply chain of raw materials to the critical industries, particularly in oil and natural gas sectors, as any disruption would not only impede their functioning but also impact the country's growing economy. An integrated security system could be the answer to protect the vital installations.

Perhaps for the first time, security chiefs and heads of public sector giants such as Indian Oil, ONGC and Oil India, port trusts and private companies such as the Reliance Energy and the GMR attended the conference. (PTI)