Amit Shah, Sonowal review Bureau of Port Security setup

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday reviewed the status of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) establishment.

The home minister directed that only licensed private security agencies be assigned port security duties, with deployment limited to personnel trained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He instructed that training at the Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) begin as soon as possible, utilising the current infrastructure.

Shah instructed officials to create a database of all security personnel to be deployed under BoPS. He said all ports under the BoPS framework must have container scanning facilities. The CISF was directed to conduct trial runs of the proposed security arrangements at major ports, including Visakhapatnam, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mundra. The home minister stated that the Government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remains committed to strengthening coastal security.

The Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) is being set up as a statutory body under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Headed by a Director General, BoPS will oversee regulatory and inspection functions for ship and port facility security. Its responsibilities include collecting and analysing security information, with a focus on cybersecurity and protection of IT infrastructure.

Shah met with Department of Fisheries officials and directed steps to improve security at fishing harbours and fish landing centres. He instructed wider promotion of the ISRO-developed ‘Nabhmitra’ app to increase its use among fishermen. Also, the Department of Fisheries is to write to the District Magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all districts, requesting that they submit to the Central Government a list of all fish landing centres in their respective districts.

He also said that the registration process for fishermen should be simplified and made more accessible. He further directed that the District Superintendents of Police should ensure adequate security arrangements at fish landing centres and that only permanent police personnel are deployed at these facilities.

Union Home Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Secretary, Border Management, Secretary, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and other senior officials attended the meeting.