As dedicated manpower is needed to handle coastal security, a separate cadre for Coastal Security Police will be created in all coastal States.
Odisha, being one of the major coastal States, has not yet established separate cadre for Coastal Security Police, though it has a 480km-long coastline.
While Odisha has kept coastal security in charge of an Additional DGP rank officer, requirement of a separate cadre will go a long way in strengthening the security system in the marine zones.
Odisha has 18 Marine Police Stations covering the entire coastline and two more police stations are needed for which the State Government has already approached the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In order to handle coastal security, officers and field staff are taken from the regular police force and after their deputation tenure is over they return to original cadre and this creates vacuum. With such ad hoc system, coastal security is being run in several States and looking at the requirement, some of the coastal States have created separate cadres for coastal policing.
Accordingly, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andaman & Nicober Island have already formed separate wings of coastal security police. Large numbers of man power are available in the country with a lot of personnel retiring from Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy. Their expertise can be roped in for setting up separate wing or cadre of Coastal Security Police.
Several State Governments are roping in services of superannuated personnel of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guards. As the general police force is not having the expertise to run boats provided by Union Government to the States, roping in services of the fishermen as boat crew is also advised.
In a recent meeting on coastal security, the issue cropped up and there was unanimity that the present recruitment rules are needed to be amended to facilitate such recruitments for coastal security.
Sources said the Union Government will be supplying 26 fast interceptor boats for the Marine Police Stations as the State Government is harping on for such provisions because the boats provided for coastal security are not capable of facing tide and entering to sea. So most of the operations are taken up when sea is calm, sources said.
The idea of roping in services of the villagers and fishermen for coastal security has also found currency as those people are more concerned for their coastal zones.