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The 21-metre long Air Cushion Vehicle with 31
tonnes displacement can achieve a maximum speed
of 45 knots. The ACV is capable of undertaking
multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction,
search and rescue and rendering assistance to
small boats/craft in distress at sea. The H-191
will be based at Okha under the administrative
and operational control of the Commander Coast
Guard Region (North-West).
The 30-metre long interceptor boat with 90 tonnes
displacement can achieve a maximum speed of 45
knots. The vessel is fitted with state-of-theart
navigation and communication equipment and medium
range armament. It is designed for high speed
interception, close-coast patrol, lowintensity
maritime operations, search & rescue and maritime
surveillance.
The force also installed a chain of static radar
and electro-optic sensors at 84 remote sites along
the coast line – including the island territories
– to improve the coastal surveillance network.
In the first phase, 46 Coastal Static Radars (36
on mainland and 10 in island territories) have
been planned that will be fully functional by
middle of next year.
To boost the morale of the force which has always
been under the shadow of the Indian Navy, the
Indian Coast Guard got its first own three star
officer as the Defence Ministry approved the elevation
of its Second-in-Command IG Rajendra Singh as
Additional Director General, a rank equivalent
to Lt General. Earlier, Coast Guard officials
could rise only to the rank of Inspector General,
equal to Major General. The elevation of Singh,
a 1980 batch officer, is seen as increasing the
role of the Indian Coast Guard particularly after
the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks.
ICG already has pollution control vessels which
put it in the forefront of Indian maritime non-military
activities. The responsibilities of ICG include
raising the boundaries of India’s EEZ from the
present 200 nm to 350 nm from the shore in addition
to its designated responsibility for coastal security
in territorial waters, which extends to 12 nm
(about 22 km) from the shore. New coastal police
stations to maintain security up to 5 nm (about
9 km) from the coast, as well as on the shore,
have been set up post 26/11.
The CGR (North East), the fifth region of ICG,
was carved out of the Coast Guard Region (East)
to strengthen coastal security operations in the
northern Bay of Bengal. The region will exercise
operational and administrative control over all
coast guard assets in West Bengal and Odisha.
The region would be spread over 740 km along the
coasts and consists of nine coastal districts.
Its jurisdiction would extend right up to the
Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Boundary
Line covering 1.5 lakh sq km of the Indian exclusive
economic zone.
The ICG is the principal agency for protecting
the ocean and offshore wealth, including oil,
fish and minerals and also assists mariners in
distress and safeguard life and property at sea
and enforce maritime laws with respect to sea,
shipping, poaching, smuggling and narcotics. It
also collects scientific data and breaks it up
for the navy, as the latter has the overall responsibility.
Coastal Security becoming critical day by day,
India Government has decided to establish a Coast
Guard Academy Azheekkal, near Kannur in North
part of Kerala State. While the Defence Ministry
has already arranged for 164 acres of land for
this purpose, acquired by KINFRA, the infrastructure
development agency of Kerala, the Central Government’s
cabinet committee on security recently cleared
the proposal involving Rs 661 crore, to meet the
expenditure in terms of land acquisition, development
of infrastructure and other needs including manpower
and training. A tender was floated for the consultancy
services in detailed engineering, project management
and infrastructure development for the academy
in December 2012, and finalising the bidders and
the winners is expected to be announced by the
end of April.
India has embarked upon an important – but stalled
– process of internal security reforms and; changes
in the ICG are a part of this process. The Coast
Guard has also activated the first ‘air enclave’
to provide security to Odisha’s coast and the
exclusive economic zones. The enclave will provide
support to recently inducted Coast Guard surveillance
Dornier aircraft equipped with advanced and sophisticated
navigational and communication sensors and equipment
for response to pollution, search and rescue,
maritime reconnaissance and for coastal security.
ICG has stationed its ship ‘Vajra’ at the Paradip
Port to keep vigil. The 74-metre long ship of
the Indian Coast Guard has the facility of helicopter
landing pad. The ship contains 30 mm guns and
other modern arms and ammunition.
Recently ICGS Vaibhav, an indigenously designed
90-metre class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the
third in a series of three OPVs built by Goa Shipyard
Ltd (GSL), was handed over to the Indian Coast
Guard. The vessel is designed to carry a helicopter
and five high-speed boats for search and rescue,
law enforcement and maritime patrol. The ship
is fitted with a Global Maritime Distress and
Safety system (GMDSS) making it an apt platform
to carry out search and rescue operations.
ICG will double its strength to about 150 surface
vessels by 2018, as per the government approval
in its 2012- 17 five-year plan. Things seem to
be moving ahead for the force. Operational capabilities,
deployment of forces and preparation for the future
challenges are the priority for the government.
It is also time to introspect the standards achieved
in the wide spectrum of its responsibilities.
Indian Coast Guard is taking the small steps which
will eventually be giant leaps in the Indian security’s
changing landscape.
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