The state was informed about the Centre’s decision at a meeting on police modernisation held last week in Delhi between a team of Union government officials led by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and a team of state government officials led by state home secretary Ardhendu Sen. Other officials who accompanied Sen included DGP A B Vohra and Kolkata police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti.

“We are going to buy sophisticated guns like Insas rifles, bullet-proof jackets, new vehicles, and other equipment for modernising both the Calcutta Police and the state police,” Sen told Indian Express.

In the last Cabinet meeting, the state government took the decision of recruiting about 1,500 policemen for expansion of its force.

It has also decided to set up a commando unit to tackle urban terrorism. The unit will be raised at Barrackpore.

Sen also took part in a meeting held in Delhi on enhancing coastal security in the state. “We already have sanctions for six coastal police stations and we have been told to submit plan for a few more police stations. The plan will be sent to Delhi soon,” Sen said.

The National Security Guards (NSG) has already decided to set up a hub at Kaikhali near Dum Dum airport, where a small unit of the elite commando force will be stationed.