Sahara Group seeks CISF cover for Amby valley

Sahara Group has approached the Centre for provision of para-military cover to its prestigious Amby Valley housing project which plans to house celebrities from cricketing world and Bollywood.

Sources in the Union Home Ministry said that a letter from the group was received requesting it for provision of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cover to the housing society as they claimed that underworld people may target the residents keeping in view their popularity and vulnerability.

However, no decision has been taken so far about the application made by the group and the sources said that they would like to cover important installations like Reliance Refinery, Tata insitute of fundamental research at Mumbai and Wipro and electronic city at Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The housing society, located on the Mumbai-Lonavala expressway, is under construction and there are plans to have schools, hospitals and entertainment centres within the township.

At least 50 corporate houses, including Reliance, Tata, Oberoi and Infosys, have approached the government after the Mumbai attack seeking CISF security cover for installations.

Additional battalions will soon be raised by the CISF for providing security cover to other important private installations, the sources said.

The Mumbai terror attacks prompted government to promulgate an Ordinance enabling the private sector to avail of CISF cover. A bill was later passed by Parliament.