"The station is a part of ongoing efforts by Coast Guard to strengthen maritime and coastal security and the assets based at Mayabunder will help augment patrolling along the northern group of Islands for safeguarding Indian maritime interests," a Defence Ministry release said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Secretary lauded the efforts of the Coast Guard in maintaining a high state of vigil in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands resulting in apprehension of a large number of poachers and saving human lives during search and rescue operations.
He said the implementation of the Coastal Surveillance Network project would be a major milestone in ensuring near gap-free radar surveillance of these Islands.
The Defence Ministry has recently completed the first phase of the CSN project under which 46 radars have been deployed and the Cabinet Committee on Security also cleared the phase II of the project under which 36 more radars would be deployed.
Addressing the gathering, Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command Air Marshal P K Roy stressed the need for maintaining continuous vigil of the strategically important archipelago.
