24 All Terrain Vehicles to secure Tamil Nadu coast

Chennai: In a bid to enhance security along the Tamil Nadu coast, the State government will procure 24 All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) for marine police stations, C Sylendra Babu, Additional Director-General of Police (Coastal Security) said here.

Babu told Express that the ATVs will have operational capabilities not only in sea, but also on land. The police official said that the ATVs will be imported at a cost of Rs. 8 lakh. “The vehicles can be operated in sandy dunes as well as sea, giving the State police a tactical advantage,” said Babu.

Interestingly, his statement comes in the wake of the review of coastal security recently conducted by a delegation of Parliament Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by Rajya Sabha MP Venkaiah Naidu. Babu also said that an additional 40 check-posts have been constructed along the coastal roads in a bid to beef up surveillance. The State now has 100 check-posts.

The state government will procure 24 All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) for marine police stations.

The State is also planning additional 30 marine police stations. It already has 12 police stations, the senior police officer said. “The land for the police stations have been acquired,” he said.

Tamil Nadu was the first State to have a coastal police station in 1994, way before the Mumbai terror attacks, the official said. The coastal stretch from Tiruvotiyur to Colachel is guarded by police stations and interceptor boats, he said.

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