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3,000 additional personnel to be inducted into Coast Guard shortly: Antony | Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday announced
a quantum jump in the number of Indian Coast Guard personnel to make it a potent force to counter terrorism from the sea. Addressing the 28th Coast Guard Commanders'
Conference here, he said the Government has sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional
personnel at various levels and this needs to be filled up on a priority basis.
He said the concept of 'security' has changed in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror
attacks and the spectrum and nature of duties of Indian Coast Guard have undergone
a sea-change. He said the Government is making all out efforts to help Indian
Coast Guard become one of the finest Coast Guards in the world in a couple of
years. "The modern day dynamics of security and geopolitics mean that the Coast
Guard cannot rest on past laurels and can ill-afford to be complacent. The responsibilities
on Coast Guard have been increasing. The terror attacks on Mumbai last year have
resulted only in a bigger role for the Indian Coast Guard," he added. The Minister
said additional responsibility of coastal surveillance has been given to the Coast
Guard and for the efficient discharge of their responsibilities the Government
has approved a vast array of ships, aircraft, equipment with manpower and development
of support infrastructure. He said the Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring
20 Fast Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), 41 Interceptor Boats, 12 Coastal Surveillance
Aircraft (Dorniers) and 7 off-shore Patrol Vehicles(OPVs). He also said work is
in progress to put in place a chain of 46 Coastal Radars spanning 9 Coastal Stations
across the country. Moreover, 9 new Coast Guard Station have been approved. "These
need to be established early", he added. Referring to the progress made in the
production of indigenous vessels, he said, presently 50 ships are being constructed
at various Indian shipyards. "These projects must be monitored carefully to ensure
that these platforms are delivered on time, with requisite quality. The growth
of the Coast Guard fleet over the next five years makes it essential that it plans
the expansion meticulously, so that trained manpower and shore infrastructure
are available to operate the assets at optimum levels in the future," he said.
The Minister said recently a new Regional Headquarters has been set up at Gandhinagar.
"This will facilitate synergy between the Coast Guard, State Government and other
Central Government Organisations in a critical area of our coast. Measures are
also being taken to enhance the efficacy of Coast Guard surveillance and Search
and Rescue operations," he added. He asked the Coast Guard top brass to explore
innovative ways to develop infrastructure support for the Coast Guard fleet in
the days to come. "Since its inception, Coast Guard has maintained its fleet with
minimal shore infrastructure. You have been managing the fleet through outsourcing
repairs & refit. However, the massive expansion being charted through ship acquisition
will significantly develop the shore infrastructure," he later added. |
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