Non-Congress States today opposed formation of the NCTC, saying that it will infringe upon the duties of the State police forces.
Representatives from Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Bihar voiced their concern at the high-level meeting chaired by Home Secretary, Mr R. K. Singh, in which State Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries and police chiefs were present.
Sources attending the meeting said the States were opposing the formation of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) on the ground that the role of the State police would be minimised in counter-terror operations.
They said the representatives of the States opposed the move, saying that the Intelligence Bureau was already performing the job. The chiefs of anti-terror units were also present at the meeting.
Over a dozen Chief Ministers have opposed the creation of the NCTC, maintaining that it would hurt the federal structure of the country.
The Odisha Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, have asked the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss the issue.
In the wake of strong protests by non-Congress Chief Ministers, the Centre has put on hold the operationalisation of the NCTC from March 1 and has decided to discuss the issue with the State Governments.