Mumbai, Aug. 6: The July 11 blasts have prompted the Maharashtra government to set up a dedicated wing of officials to collate ground-level intelligence about subversive activities in the state.

Many, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have blamed inadequate ground-level intelligence for the blasts on seven trains of Mumbai’s western suburban railway network.

“The Union home ministry has directed the Intelligence Bureau to train these officers, who would be permanently posted in the state intelligence department,” said a senior official of the state home department.

The decision to raise the elite wing was taken at a recent meeting of top police officers with Union home secretary V.K. Duggal.

“The most important weak link in intelligence gathering at the state level is lack of continuity. The police, especially Mumbai police, were known for their tremendous intelligence gathering network. But a slackness crept into the system ever since the underworld was almost wiped out of the city after the 1993 blasts,” said a source.

But over the years, especially during the 13-year Bombay blast trial in which the verdict will be delivered from August 10, several underworld operatives had got bail.

Besides, the Chhota Rajan gang’s members, the prime source of Mumbai crime branch officials at one point, had been wiped out in encounters.

“Over the years, the intelligence gathering at ground level has weakened. An informer passes information only to an official he trusts. And this relationship is built over years, not days.

“Transfers of officials also hinder information gathering. So there is a feeling that permanently posted officials will be better than the present system of short stints,” said the official.

Apart from initial training, the Intelligence Bureau will also offer periodic refresher courses to keep the intelligence officers abreast with emergent trends and information about terrorist groups and their activities across the world.

The state intelligence department plans to recruit nearly 300 officers in the next three to four years from over 600 IPS officers in the state.

Their recruitment will be done by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission and screening methods like aptitude tests are likely to be introduced to ensure that only those with the right attitude join the force.