Chidambaram reviews security in Chandigarh, Haryana

Union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday held a review meeting on internal security with officials of Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next month.

Chidambaram reached here early on Wednesday morning and drove straight to the Union Territory (UT) Guest House from the airport where he held an hour-long meeting with the UT authorities.

The meeting with Chandigarh officials was attended by Punjab governor and UT administrator, SF Rodrigues, adviser Pradip Mehra, Home secretary Ram Niwas and other senior officials, Chandigarh's senior superintendent of Police SS Srivastava said.

Chidambaram then drove to Haryana Civil Secretariat where he held a meeting with the Haryana Government officials, which was attended by chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, principal secretary to the chief minister, ML Tayal, State's chief secretary Dharamvir and home secretary Krishan Mohan.

Journalists were not allowed near the venue of the meeting and there was no media-interaction either.

The meeting, which began at 9 in the morning lasted for over 90 minutes, Krishan Mohan said.

Official sources said Haryana had sought Rs 200 crore for modernisation of its police force.

"The meeting was a follow up of the earlier meeting on internal security, which the chief ministers had in Delhi," Mohan said.

After the meeting, Chidambaram left for Delhi. In view of his arrival, tight security arrangements had been made along the route from airport to the meeting venues.