Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a new hub of the National Security Guard (NSG), the country’s elite counter-terrorism force, was being established in Ayodhya to bolster anti-terror operations in the region.

Addressing a gathering at the 41st raising day of the NSG in Haryana’s Manesar, he said the new NSG hub would be the seventh such centre in the country after Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Jammu.

He said the black commandos at the Ayodhya hub would always be available to provide a strong response to any terror attack in the region. “The NSG headquarters will continuously focus on training NSG personnel and anti-terrorism units of state police forces across the country, sharing best practices, and ensuring the fitness of the forces,” he said.

Home ministry sources said the new NSG hub would be armed with CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence to ensure overall security. Anti-drone systems will also be in place to prevent any aerial threats.

The NSG had led the security arrangements at the Ram Mandir during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in January last year.

Shah said the Special Operation Training Centre (SOTC), which was inaugurated on Tuesday, was not only meant for the NSG but also for state police forces.

“This centre, being built on eight acres at a cost of ₹141 crore, will provide state-of-the-art training to special commandos combating terrorism. At the SOTC, not only NSG personnel, but also anti-terror units established within police forces across the country will be trained with cutting-edge technology,” he said.

The NSG was raised in 1984 following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The government had set up four regional hubs of the NSG in Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad in July 2009 following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to reduce the time for elite commandos to reach an attack site.

Earlier, NSG commandos had to be airlifted from Delhi, which caused delays. In March 2011, the Centre approved the setting up of another NSG regional hub in Ahmedabad.

The NSG’s “Black Cat” commandos handle counter-terror and counter-hijack missions, besides protecting high-risk VIPs.