India to have integrated coastal security: Antony

A day before the first anniversary of the attack on Mumbai by sea-borne terrorists, Defence Minister AK Antony today said an integrated approach has been put in place for the security of country's 7,516-km long shoreline.

A day before the first anniversary of the attack on Mumbai by sea-borne terrorists, Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday said an integrated approach has been put in place for the security of country's 7,516-km long shoreline.

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Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Antony said that to check the effectiveness of the new system, joint and operational exercises between navy, the Coast Guard, police and customs are being under taken.

"The government has accorded top priority to coastal security and for this an integrated approach has been put in place. The intelligence-sharing mechanism has been streamlined through the creation of joint operation centres and multi-agency coordination mechanism," Antony said.

"Surface and air surveillance has been enhanced by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard ships and aircraft all along the coast and in all offshore development areas," said Antony.

Ten armed terrorists sneaked into Mumbai undetected through its coast on Nov 26 last year and unleashed a mayhem for the next 60 hours. The attack left over 170 people, including many foreign nationals, killed.

"The centre is funding the states and union territories through coastal security scheme for the operationalisation of coastal police stations, patrol boats etc. The Indian Coast Guard has also trained 1,515 state police personnel," Antony added.