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Defence Minister A.K. Antony inaugurated the
clusters Aug 25 at Mumbai and Porbandar, marking
a major step forward in the security mechanism
for India's 7,500-km coastline.
He promised to get the project to provide a gap-free
coastal surveillance completed both on the mainland
and the islands by mid-2013.
The static sensors project of coastal surveillance
network will be pioneered by the Indian Coast
Guard (ICG) and augment the force's shore-based
electronic surveillance capacity along the coastline
of these two states that witness high traffic
density and are too close to Pakistan across the
Arabian Sea.
"As the western coastline is a highly sensitive
one, we decided to operationalise this chain in
Maharshtra and Gujarat ahead of the completion
schedule of the project. Our objective is to have
this mechanism available for immediate utilisation,"
Antony said at a function to mark the opening
of the radars.
Under the Maharashtra cluster, the sensors are
operational with radar stations fitted at Tarapur,
Korlai, Tolkeshwar and Devgad and envisages real-time
surveillance cover up to 25 nautical miles.
Antony said the project will act as a "force
multiplier" in the coastal security apparatus.
"With its help, the maritime forces will
surely be able to devise an objective-based, rapid
and effective response mechanism against perceived
threats. The maritime forces will utilise their
surface and air assets in such a way that they
can derive maximum benefit from this surveillance
network," he added.
The government had signed the contract with the
state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in
September 2011 at a cost of Rs.602 crore ($108.5
million) considering the strategic nature of the
turnkey project and with an aim to develop indigenous
capabilities in the field.
Under Phase-I of the network, static sensors
will be put up at 46 locations along the Indian
coast, including on island territories. The mainland
radars in various coastal states of India are
expected to be operationalised later this year,
while those on the islands by mid-2013.
Antony conceded that some gaps may still exist
and towards this end, the Coast Guard had carried
out a "gap analysis", based on which
a second phase of the project will be implemented
and 38 more locations would be added to the network
so that "there are no gaps".
The minister also noted that linking up of the
National Automatic Identification System Network
(AIS) and Vessel Traffic System (VTS) of Gulf
of Khambat with the Coastal Security Network would
help the security forces in identifying a friend
or foe in the Indian waters.
"We are also intensifying efforts to achieve
complete Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) so that
all our security agencies, state governments and
central government have real-time pictures and
data of our waters," he said.
Striking a note of caution, he, however, said
with the project coming up along the coast, any
interpretation that the coastline would be completely
secure would be a misnomer till such time that
complete physical verification takes place.
He also stressed that the "fast-changing
coastal security scenario and the varied threat
perceptions require proper coordination and alertness
among all the stakeholders.
Referring to the role of fishermen in coastal
security, Antony said it is of singular importance
and "we must ensure maximum community participation
to further strengthen our coastal security".
Recounting the various measures taken by the
government post-26/11 attacks on Mumbai, Antony
said: "We have increased the capacity of
the security forces in terms of surveillance,
patrolling at sea, intelligence gathering and
manpower. However, a robust coastal security mechanism
requires various arms of the government to work
in perfect tandem."
He also noted the need for "adequate legislations,
in accordance with international conventions,
to give our security forces enough legal back
up".
Antony was accompanied to both the events by
Defence Production Secretary Shekhar Aggarwal,
Indian Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral
M.P. Muralidharan and BEL chairman and managing
director Anil Kumar.
(IANS)
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