In a bid to avoid illegal activities in the coastal belt of Odisha, the Indian Navy would impart training to officers and personnel of the State police on coastal and marine security.
State Home Secretary Asit Tripathy has informed that the Indian Navy would train 50 police officials at INS Chilka in two batches starting from July.
“The Indian Navy has decided to provide basic training on seamanship, following standard operation procedure (SOP) during counter-terrorism operations in coastal areas, tracking illegal trawlers and pirates,” Tripathy told reporters here.
In order to strengthen marine security, the State Government has set up 18 Marine police stations along its 485-km-long coastline.
The State police headquarters would scrutinise a list of 20 officers and 30 field staffs who would participate in the training in the first phase in July.
DGP Kunwar Brajesh Singh said the training would aim at acclimatising personnel of the marine police stations with weather conditions on sea, efficient use of radars, identification of friend and enemy boats during patrolling, etc.
“Five of the 18 Marine police stations will be shortlisted for the initial phase of training. Export and import of illegal arms and contraband on sea route, infiltration, unauthorised fishing, entry of antinational elements and securing vital installations along the coast will be emphasised during the training,” Singh added.
The Home Secretary had earlier said all boats plying through the coast would be put under surveillance. The fishing boats would be coloured differently to make identification easier and biometric cards would be issued to fishermen for their easy identification. A transponder would be installed in each boat to facilitate surveillance, he had stated.
Notably, India is strengthening security along its vulnerable coastline, stretching over 4,000 km. A comprehensive Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) to strengthen security infrastructure in the coastal States is being implemented, the Union Home Ministry had earlier said.
Tamil Nadu has set up 32 coastal police stations (CPSs), followed by 22 in Gujarat, 21 in Andhra Pradesh, 19 in Maharashtra and 18 in Odisha.