Govt yet to name new coast guard chief

The coast guard finds itself without a full-time director general on the third anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The slot has been lying vacant for nearly four weeks.

The coast guard finds itself without a full-time director general on the third anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The slot has been lying vacant for nearly four weeks.

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The appointments committee of the cabinet has yet not taken a decision on the next coast guard chief after Vice Admiral Anil Chopra was appointed flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command on October 31.

Navy’s chief of personnel Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan is currently officiating as the coast guard chief. He’s tipped to be appointed the full-time director general shortly. A defence ministry official said the delay in appointing a new chief had not hampered the coast guard’s operations, which were being taken care of by the organisation’s regional commands.

The coast guard is responsible for security in territorial waters extending to 12 nautical miles, under the overall supervision of the navy. The government bestowed additional powers on the on the navy to stave off threats from the high seas after the Mumbai attacks.