Express News Service
LUCKNOW: In a bid to crackdown on terrorism and other similar activities in UP, CM Yogi Adityanath has proposed to set up a dozen units of Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in the State.
The proposal envisages strengthening the ATS and equipping it with more state-of-the-art resources as well as increasing the number of employees and officers.
The proposal says that ATS units will be established in 10 sensitive districts where ATS units or commando training centres will be part of the plan.
Meerut, Aligarh, Shravasti, Bahraich, Greater Noida (Jewar Airport), Azamgarh (nearby airport), Kanpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Deoband in Saharanpur are the first 10 districts identified to have the ATS centre.
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Recently, the state government acquired around 20,000 sq metre land in Deoband in the Saharanpur district of western UP to set up an ATS commando training centre there.
The sources said that the process for the establishments of units has already taken off with allotment of land in respective districts construction of buildings will be commenced shortly.
Apart from this, land allotment is likely to happen soon for the setting up of ATS units in Varanasi and Jhansi.
According to the state government instructions, to fortify the Indo-Nepal Border in Bahraich and Shravasti, new field units of ATS have been established in these districts.
The ATS arrested 69 terrorists belonging to various terrorist organisations including ISIS, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, JMB, ABT/Bangladesh, Babbar Khalsa. They also tracked ISI spies, Naxal, terror funding and fake Indian currencies and arrested 216 people accused of various offences, this year.
On January 16, the ATS arrested and sent 18 accused, including three Chinese nationals, to jail for activating fake mobile sim cards based on coded forms.