Rajnath Singh chairs coastal review meeting, calls maritime terrorism a big threat

Mumbai: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday insisted on the need to make India's coastal security fool proof and impregnable.

During his meeting with top officials of nine coastal states and four Union Territories to review coastal security, Singh described maritime terrorism as a big threat with huge economic implications.

He, however, assured that the government is carrying out a security audit of all major and non-major ports to identify vulnerable points in coastal security.

"The vulnerability of our coasts was exposed in 1993 when explosives were smuggled to Raigad and then in 2008 when terrorists attacked Mumbai," the HMO tweeted Rajnath as saying at a meeting here to review coastal security.

"We need to make our coastal security foolproof and impregnable," he further tweeted.

"Maritime terrorism is a big threat and it has huge economic implications," Rajnath said at the meeting.

On coastal security after the deadly 26/11 attacks, he said, "Many initiatives have been taken to strengthen our coastal security post 2008 attacks on Mumbai."

"We are securing the Indian coastline by creating a chain of Radars and Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers," he further tweeted.

Referring to Coastal Security Scheme (CSS), the Home Minister said, "After the success of CSS 1 and 2, we are preparing a concept paper for CSS 3. We need your inputs for CSS3".

Rajnath also said, "To identify vulnerable points in our coastal security we are carrying out security audits of all major and non-major ports".

The Indian Coastguard is working to integrate the fisherman community through Community Interaction Programme, he said.

Home ministers and top officials from nine coastal states (West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat) and four Union Territories, (Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS), Registrar General of India, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Shipping, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Indian Coast Guard are participating in the meeting.

(With PTI inputs)