New Delhi: The Navy and Coast Guard have
been equipped to carry out enhanced surveillance while
intelligence mechanism has been strengthened to secure the
coastline against piracy, government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Defence Minister A K Antony told Parimal Nathwani in a
written reply that installation of radars covering the
country`s entire coastline and islands is also an essential
part of this process.
He was answering a question whether the Somalian pirates
have moved beyond their operating territories trespassing into
Indian waters and have recently made three illegal intrusions
near Gujarat coast and steps being taken to check them.
Antony said piracy off the Coast of Somalia has grown
steadily over the years and has become a serious concern. In
the recent past there have been some incidents of piracy
attempts in the East Arabian Sea off the Lakshadweep and
Minicoy Islands which were foiled by the Indian Navy.
In two separate incidents on June 19 and June 26 this
year, 38 persons, out of which 32 are of Somalian origin, were
apprehended by the police off the Gujarat Coast and
interrogated by agencies concerned, he said.
The Minister said government has initiated several
measures to several measures to strengthen coastal security,
which includes improving surveillance mechanism and enhanced
patrolling by following an integrated approach.
The intelligence mechanism has been streamlined through
the creation of Joint Operation Centres and multi-agency
coordination mechanism.
Installation of radars covering the country`s entire
coastline and islands is also an essential part of this
process. Both the Navy and Coast Guard have been
appropriately equipped to carry out enhanced surveillance and
secure the coastline, he said.
PTI
