Deadline set for coastal radars

New Delhi, Aug 2 — Defence Minister A.K. Antony Thursday set a two-month deadline for the maritime security agencies to get security radars along India’s 7,500-km coastline in place.

At a meeting with the defence ministry top brass as well as the navy and the coast guard chiefs here to review the coastal security apparatus, Antony also reviewed the timely delivery of 80 Fast Interceptor Craft ordered from a Sri Lankan firm and implementation of a communication network for the eastern coastline.

“The defence minister reviewed the progress on various steps taken to enhance the coastal security in the country. He directed that the first phase of the coastal radar network, on both the west and east coast should be completed in the next two months,” a defence ministry release said here.

Antony will be visiting some of the radar locations in the next two months, particularly those on the western coast in Maharashtra and Gujarat that are to be inaugurated.

The two-phase coastal radar network, which will be a chain of radars all along the Indian coastline, is an important component of the coastal security mechanism, which will ensure monitoring and identification of maritime traffic.

Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma, Defence Production Secretary Shekhar Agarwal, Coast Guard chief Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan were among those present at the meet.

Addressing the officers, Antony emphasised that all stakeholders in maritime security should work with “unified purpose” and ensure that there are no gaps in the coastal security framework.

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Article courtesy of Daily News.