Only 204 out of sanctioned 429 boats/vessels issued, just 23 out of 60 jetties provided; coordination still an issue
A decade after the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India’s coastline has not been fully secured even after an expenditure of over Rs 2,200 crore for strengthening the Coast Guard and setting up coastal police stations across nine coastal States and four Union Territories.
As many as 194 coastal police stations have been set up, but only 204 out of sanctioned 429 boats/vessels have been issued and only 23 out of sanctioned 60 jetties have been provided to the coastal States. The police stations have been provided 284 jeeps and 554 motorcycles. As many as 97 check posts and 58 outposts besides 30 barracks have been constructed, a senior Union Home Ministry official said.
Out of 4.5 lakh fishing boats in use along the coastline by fishermen, only 2 lakh have been registered, the official further said. Sources said the Union Home Ministry is now considering a proposal of the Joint Intelligence Committee to put in place an amphibious force that can operate both on land and sea.
In view of the varying suggestions on strengthening coastal security, the Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau are examining three options — strengthening Indian Coast Guard and placing it under the MHA, raising dedicated Indian Reserve Battalions earmarked for coastal security under State Police, and raising Coastal Marine Police Force under the MHA.
The MHA is also considering a proposal to bring costal revenue villages under the jurisdiction of coastal police stations for better intelligence gathering and extend the jurisdiction on the sea to 200 nautical miles.
The coastal police stations do not have marine capabilities, and lack of coordination with other stakeholders is a problem. These issues continue to dog the security architecture for the coastline. Despite setting up of Marine Police Stations in all the nine coastal States, the coastal police in most of the States are dependent on jetties of other related departments like the Fisheries Department for patrolling. The cost of operating the jetties is also prohibitive. This is why many jetties provided to some States are not being utilised properly. Maintenance of patrolling boats of 6 and 12 tonnes is also a costly affair. Many States have asked the Centre to devise a mechanism of maintenance of the boats, according to a Home Ministry report.
India has a coastline of 7,516.6 km, including 5,422 km of coastline on the mainland and 2,094 km on the islands, stretching over nine States and four Union Territories. There are 3,331 coastal villages, 1,382 islands, 1.2 crore people involved in fishing, 4.5 lakh fishing boats of which only 2 lakh are registered, Exclusive Economic Zone of over 2.02 million square km, 12 major and 200 minor ports, five major and 23 minor harbours, 95 landing centres 27 Single Point Moorings.
The Indian coastline accounts for 90 per cent of India’s trade by volume, and 77 per cent by value. The coastline also accounts of 70 per cent of the country’s energy requirement.
Security challenges along the coastline emanate from diverse sources, including adversarial neighbours and non-State actors, and there is likelihood of anti-national elements, including infiltrators and drug peddlers and terrorist, taking advantage of the porous coastline.
The Coastal Security Scheme was launched in 2005-06 by Union Home Ministry and is being implemented in two phases. The Phase I was implemented from 2005-2011 with an outlay of Rs 646 crore and the Phase II is being implemented from 2011 extended to 2020 and Rs 1,589 crore has already been incurred under the scheme. The Coast Guard is the lead intelligence agency for coordination and sharing of intelligence among various agencies operating on the coast.