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