India | Posted on Feb 28, 2009 at 03:43pm IST

Navy responsible for coastal security, decides govt

IANS

New Delhi/ Kochi: The Navy will be responsible for the overall maritime security of the country, including coastal and off-shore security, said Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday.

Antony, who was Speaking at a function in Kochi, said the navy would be assisted by the Coast Guard, the state marine police and other central and state agencies for the coastal defence.

Joint operation centres would be set up at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair, to be manned and operated by the navy and Coast Guard with inputs from other agencies, he said.

The Coast Guard, state marine police and other central and state maritime agencies will all report to the Navy. The Director General of Coast Guard has been designated as Commander Coastal Command and will be responsible for overall coastal security

The announcement follows stepped up security measures in the wake of the November attack on Mumbai by terrorists who New Delhi says were Pakistanis and reached India by sea. The attack left some 170 people dead.

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