Indian Homeland Security News and Updates

Antony for plugging gaps in coastal security

Source: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Having failed to bite the bullet as far as the creation of an apex federal maritime agency was concerned, the government on Tuesday asked all agencies concerned to work swiftly towards implementing the country's new coastal security architecture.

Chairing a meeting of top military brass and officials from defence, home, petroleum and shipping ministries, defence minister A K Antony asked them to "plug gaps' in coastal security within "a definite timeframe'.

Antony called for a "speedy implementation' of the new maritime security plan, which was recently approved by the government, as reported by TOI earlier.

The meeting also reviewed the progress made in the "coordinated arrangements' for the security of offshore platforms, vessel identification system, identity cards for fishermen, the project to install a chain of coastal radars and intelligence-sharing.

The government, however, has shied away from the creation of the maritime security advisory board (MSAB), with a maritime security advisor as it chief, which was on the agenda in the aftermath of the deadly 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

Under the new maritime security plan, Navy is now the "designated authority' responsible for overall maritime security, with both coastal and offshore security under its control.

The force will, of course, be assisted by Coast Guard, state marine police forces and other central and state agencies for the nation's coastal defence. Towards this end, both Navy and Coast Guard are going in for a major augmentation in their force-levels, manpower and intelligence apparatus.

Navy, for instance, is going to get a new specialised force, the Sagar Prahari Bal, which will have 1,000 personnel and 80 fast interception craft to protect naval assets and bases on the west and east coasts as well as the island territories.

Coast Guard, desperately short of ships and aircraft, in turn, will get five more offshore patrol vessels, 10 fast-attack craft, 20 interceptor boats, 12 Dornier aircraft and 30 helicopters, among other things.

Apart from the Coast Guard director-general also acting as the chief of new Coastal Command, the force will get nine new stations and a new regional HQ in Gujarat.

A national command, control, communication and intelligence network, linking the operations rooms of Navy and Coast Guard at the field and apex levels, is also on the anvil now.

Moreover, joint operation centres are to be set up at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair, which will get inputs from diverse bodies, including intelligence agencies. This will ensure critical connectivity between intelligence and security agencies, the lack of which came to the fore during 26/11.