New Delhi, Jan 6 : Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today called for a "proactive" approach to root out threats emanating from "potential" terrorists as the country has suffered a substantial loss of life in terror attacks.

Addressing the Chief Minister''s conference on terrorism here, Chidambaram called for the need for more preparedness to handle sophisticated terror threats and asked the Chief Ministers to put in place a clear command structure to tackle any terrorist threat or attack.

"I am more convinced than ever before that we have to set for ourselves two goals. First, to raise the level of preparedness to meet the increasingly sophisticated terrorist threats, second, to enhance the speed and decisiveness of the response to a terrorist threat. Further, we have to achieve the twin objectives in a relatively short period," he added.

He also urged the Chief Ministers to strengthen the intelligence gathering at the grassroots level in their respective States.

"Our response to terrorism cannot be reactive. There is ample evidence that many terrorist modules have burrowed their way into the country. There also many sleeper cells. We must adopt a proactive approach to apprehend these people and thwart any possible terrorist threat. In this regard too, the key is gathering and sharing intelligence and responding in a coordinated manner to apprehend the potential terrorist," Chidambaram said.

He asked the Chief Ministers to draft a strategy for seamless flow of intelligence in real time from a police station to National Capital via District Headquarters and state capital and vice versa.

"Beginning January 1, 2009 the Multi Agency Centre has begun to function on a 247 basis and is now legally obliged to share intelligence with all other agencies, including agencies of the Governments of the states and Union Territories," he said.

"Under the Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme, there is a component to enhance the capacity of the Special Branch of the State police, and I would request you to implement the agreed plans expeditiously," he added.

He said objectives to raise the level of preparedness to meet increasingly sophisticated terrorist attacks and enhancing the speed and decisiveness of response mechanism should be achieved in a relatively short period of time.

Police personnel should be given special training and advanced equipment to deal with such threats, added.

"The Central Government proposes to set up hubs of the National Security Guard (NSG) in different parts of the country. To begin with, hubs will be set-up in four cities," he said.

"Some other cities will be covered by a trained anti- terrorist force provided by defence forces--for example Bengaluru will be covered by the Army. In course of time, NSG hubs will be set up in more centres," he said and asked the states to raise and deploy their own anti-terrorist forces and offered them all the help from the Centre. (ANI)