Orissa to issue I-cards to coastal villagers

Identity cards would be issued to residents of about 400 coastal villages by the Orissa government as a measure against entry of terrorists by sea, official sources said.

Identity cards would be issued to residents of about 400 coastal villages by the Orissa government as a measure against entry of terrorists by sea, official sources said on Friday.

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The state's 480 km coastline was open and there was no mechanism to stop infiltration from the sea, Orissa Home Secretary AP Padhi said on Friday.

The process of issuing I-cards would start from Ersama village in Jagatsinghpur district on a pilot basis soon, he told reporters.

All men above 18 years would be given the I-cards and those above the age of 15 would be listed in the 400 villages, he said.

"If the process of providing I-card helps in checking infiltration by sea, we will give the cards to other coastal villages too," he said.

The Centre would bear the entire cost of preparing and distributing I-cards, the Home Secretary said.

"The Mumbai attack has forced us to consider security arrangement along the coast," a senior Coast Guard official added.

The cards would also establish the identities of fishermen at sea if asked by the Coast Guard and prevent harrassment, the official said.