India has tightened security at its 22 nuclear facilities spread across the country after intelligence reports said militants looking for targets may have carried out reconnaissance of some of them.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) Tuesday that in view of the prevailing security scenario, the nuclear installations continue to remain prime target of the terrorist outfits.
The minister said Central security agencies conduct security audits of vital installations in nuclear sectors every two years and sensitize the management at these installations from time to time.
He said the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guarding vital installations traditionally had also been tasked to undertake security-linked measures for all strategically- sensitive nuclear installations.
Ramachandran said a rapid response military team to complement civil protection measures was also being brought in and air defense cover provided.
Meanwhile, Army officials said this was the first time the country was strengthening coordination between its civilian forces and military to secure nuclear facilities.
"The security arrangement in place at all vital installations is unprecedented to tackle all kinds of threats," an army officer said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Security around nuclear installations also came into renewed scrutiny after officials this week confirmed radioactive contamination of drinking water, allegedly by a miscreant, at the Kaiga nuclear plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
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