The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has requested the state government to provide two acres of land at Bhubaneswar to open its state office.
The ICG has also planned to set up a new Coast Guard station at the Gopalpur port in the state, A Rajasekhar, commander, ICG (eastern region) said. Addressing to media persons, he said, “In the aftermath of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai's Taj Hotel, the ICG has tightened security in the east coast of India. We are satisfied with the steps taken by the Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and the marine police officials for taking adequate steps for coastal security.”
“Thousands of fishing boats and trawlers have been operating on the Indian coast and it is very difficult to keep a strict vigil on their movement through the sea route. Therefore, ICG has requested the concerned departments and also the respective governments to issue identity cards for fishermen and other employees of the fishing vessels for their safety”, he added.
Rajasekhar informed that the ICG has seized nearly 120 boats of other countries and arrested more than 600 infiltrators who had illegally entered the Indian coast in this year.
Though ICG has two ships- Sarojini Naidu and Razia Sultana, for security, we gave requested the Government of India for allocation of more ships and aircraft to ensure a better surveillance. He said that 37 new radar stations have been established on the Indian coast out of which one would operate at Paradip.
