New Delhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday directed the Department of Fisheries to write to the District Magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all districts, asking them to submit to the Central government a list of all fish landing centres in their jurisdictions, as part of efforts to strengthen security at ports across the country.
The minister issued the direction during a meeting to review the progress on the constitution of Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) -- a new federal agency expected to be set up by the end of this year to oversee port security nationwide.
Officials aware of the matter said the Centre is set to convene the first meeting on coastal border security in the coming months, bringing together police chiefs of coastal districts. Shah had chaired a meeting on Thursday with nearly 120 district chiefs to discuss land border security issues.
The Centre approved the establishment of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) on December 19, 2025. This dedicated agency for port and vessel security will be modelled after the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS). While 13 major ports are currently under CISF cover, the central force will soon be deployed at 67 additional major ports, officials said.
“The home minister directed that only licensed private security agencies should be entrusted with port security, and only private security personnel trained by the CISF should be deployed. He emphasised that training for security personnel at the Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) should begin as soon as possible. He further directed that a database of all security personnel to be deployed under the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) should be created,” an official spokesperson said.
{{/usCountry}}“The home minister directed that only licensed private security agencies should be entrusted with port security, and only private security personnel trained by the CISF should be deployed. He emphasised that training for security personnel at the Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) should begin as soon as possible. He further directed that a database of all security personnel to be deployed under the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) should be created,” an official spokesperson said.
{{/usCountry}}“Shah directed the CISF to conduct trial runs of the security arrangements before BoPS takes over security at major ports across the country, including Visakhapatnam, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and Mundra,” the official added.