Since Nov 2008,
several initiatives have been taken by the Government to strengthen security of
the coastal areas against the threat of non-state actors from sea. One of the
most significant achievements of the last year has been the integration of all
maritime stakeholders, including the several State and Central agencies into the
coastal security.
Indian Navy has established four Joint Operation Centres (JOC) at Mumbai,
Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair
as a result of this there is unprecedented coordination, synergy and
understanding between all agencies.
All coastal security operations are now coordinated from the Joint Operations
Centre, which are manned round the clock by Naval and Coast Guard teams. In
addition, the state Marine Police and other agencies such as Customs,
Intelligence Bureau, Ports etc are also networked with these centres. Besides
the four Joint Operation Centres each coastal district also has its own
Operation Centre for coordinating activity in their districts.
Awareness Campaigns.
In a focused drive to enlist the support of fishermen for their role, awareness
campaigns have been carried out for the fishing communities. Joint motorcycle
rallies by the Navy, Coast Guard and State Police have been conducted in each
coastal state, covering all coastal districts. Villagers and fishermen in almost
every coastal village have been made aware to threats from the sea and the
measures they could take to contribute to coastal security.
Surveillance Patrols.
There has been a increase in the efforts for coastal surveillance patrols by
Naval and Coast Guard ships and aircraft. Patrols by the Indian Navy and Coast
Guard are closely coordinated so as to maximise efforts and keep the entire
coast under surveillance. The Marine Police of each coastal state and CISF units
deployed at all major ports are being assisted by the Navy and Coast Guard for
coastal patrols. Because of better surveillance and alertness, ships straying
into our waters are being immediately noticed and interrogated.
Marine Training.
Recognizing that the Marine Police and CISF are not fully trained in maritime
tasks, the Indian Navy has provided training assistance to all coastal states
and CISF personnel.
1600 Marine Police and 263 CISF personnel have already undergone training at INS
Chilka,
the premier training establishment for sailors in the Indian Navy.
Coastal Security Exercises.
In order to periodically review the readiness of the security agencies and the
state administrations in thwarting threats from inimical elements, the Indian
Navy has conducted coastal security exercises in every coastal state in
conjunction with the Coast Guard, marine police, customs, and immigration and
Port authorities.
In all 08 exercises on West coast, 04 on East coast and 02 in A&N Islands have
been conducted.
During these exercises several contingency scenarios are simulated, including
hijacking of fishing craft, landing of terrorists on the coast, stowaways on
ships etc. All agencies with a stake in coastal security participate in these
exercises with a view to improve coordination, achieve integration and finally
improve the coastal security mechanism
