Fate of NATGRID uncertain due to 'turf war' -Governance Now

Fate of NATGRID uncertain due to 'turf war'

The fate of Home Ministry's ambitious project NATGRID is hanging in balance due to the "turf war" among various stakeholders and it may lead to the exit of the team which has conceptualised the much-awaited project.

PTI | May 20, 2011

Frustrated over the delay in clearing the project for implementation by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai has written to Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar that the national security was getting affected due to the delay.

"The Detailed Project Report was ready in December 2010. A note on the project has been prepared and circulated to all ministries concerned and views were taken. But unfortunately, no date has been given for a presentation of the draft report before the CCS," a source privy to the development said.

The NATGRID will have access to about 21 categories of database like railway and air travel, income tax, bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records in the country.

The project, once comes into existence, will facilitate robust information sharing by security agencies and law enforcement agencies to combat terror threat at home and abroad.

As per the initial plan, access to the combined data will be given to 11 agencies, which include carious central intelligence agencies and the National Investigation Agency among others.

The idea was floated after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Many feel that had NATGRID existed, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley would not have had a free run prior and after the 26/11 attack.

Sources said that since the NATGRID will function under the Home Ministry, it is believed that there is a fear among other stakeholders which feel that the Home Ministry would have uninterrupted access to all information under their jurisdiction.

"Due to this turf war, the whole project is heading for collapse," a source said.

40 per cent staff of the total over 100 people working with the project have left due to the uncertainty. The term of project Chief Executive Officer Raghu Raman, who has been getting a remuneration of Rs 10 lakh per month, is set to expire this month end.

"Since there is total uncertainty, Raman may have to leave the project after completion of his 18 month tenure on May 31. There is no point paying him so much without any work," the source said.

The project was launched in December 2009 and was targeted to operationalise by May 2011.

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