Bangalore: India has stepped up efforts to strengthen coastal security by scaling up monitoring and surveillance, Minister of state for Defence MM Pallam Raju
said on Friday.
After 26/11 there is a renewed look at coastal security and all possible measures are being taken towards strengthening it, the minister told reporters here on the sidelines of the golden jubilee celebrations of the 106 Infantry battalion of the Territorial Army (Bangalore Terriers).
"The Indian Navy is the nodal agency for coordinating coastal security and along with that the coastguard and marine police stations of the states will be actively involved
in deploying coastal security," he said.
The monitoring, surveillance and automatic identification of small vessels systems were some of the areas being strengthened.
"All these are getting operationalised", he said.
"This would help in increasing the range of surveillance and extent of area being monitored. I am sure in due course we will be filling up all the gaps," he said.
India is deploying both indigenous technology and "the best practices that are there world wide."
"We are encouraging all coastal states to invest in patrol boats and marine police stations", he said, adding, he was confident this would help in having a strong coastal
surveillance and coastal area protection.
PTI
First Published: Friday, October 01, 2010, 14:49