Indian Coast Guard chief K Natarajan on Thursday lamented that some coastal States and union territories are yet to formulate a local contingency plan for mass rescue operations during disasters and stressed the need for its early finalisation.
During the 16th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board(NMSARB) meeting in 2017, it was decided that all coastal states and union territories will formulate a local contingency plan for mass rescue operations as per the templates provided by the Coast Guard, he said at the 19th NMSARB meeting here on Thursday.
"However, I have been informed that some states are yet to complete the formulation of the plan," he noted. "I would like to take this opportunity to request the (state) authorities for early finalisation of the plan as it would come handy during disaster relief operations," the Coast Guard chief said.
The NMSARB comprises 31 members from various ministries, agencies, all coastal states and union territories. It meets annually to discuss policy issues, formulate procedures and assess the efficacy of the National Search and Rescue Plan.
Natarajan said the Defence Ministry has accorded its in-principle approval for setting up 29 additional maritime rescue sub-centres to augment the search and rescue services of the Coast Guard.