New Delhi: Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday asked the Navy and the Coast Guard to complete the first phase of the coastal radar network by October to track the movement of suspicious vessels into Indian maritime boundary.
After the 26/11 attacks, the minister has held several meetings with the sea-guarding agencies and other stakeholders to plug the gaps in country`s maritime security.
Reviewing the status of coastal security, Antony directed that first phase of the Coastal Radar Network, on both the west and east coast should be completed in the next two months and that he would himself visit some locations very soon, a Defence Ministry statement said.
The network is an important component of the coastal security mechanism which will ensure monitoring and identification of maritime traffic, it said.
Antony also reviewed the time schedules of supply of Fast Interceptor Crafts, implementation of National Command Control Communication and Intelligence Network and Vessels and Air Traffic Management System on the east coast.
He stressed that the government was fully-committed to modernise the Navy and Coast Guard as well as assist state governments to undertake any challenges to our coastal security.
He said another coastal security review meeting would be held immediately after the forthcoming Parliament session ending on September 7.
Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma, Secretary (Defence Production) Shekhar Agarwal, Coast Guard Chief Vice Admiral M P Muralidharan, Joint Secretary (Navy) Ramsubhag Singh were present in the meeting.
PTI
