The Coastal Security Group (CSG) of the Tamil Nadu police will soon acquire 24 nineteen-metre boats, equipped with modern weaponry and amenities. The standard boat offered by the Ministry of Home Affairs was fine-tuned to suit specific requirements and the customised design was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
Confirming this to The Hindu, Additional Director-General of Police Sandeep Mittal on Thursday said these boats would be capable of enduring inclement weather conditions and stocking adequate supplies and fuel for security personnel on board to survive at sea for at least 10 days. The boats were provided by the Government of India under the Coastal Security Scheme.
The strengthening of the CSG’s fleet comes at a time when intelligence agencies have issued repeated alerts on the possibility of illegal intrusion of Sri Lankan Tamils, former cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), prisoners who allegedly escaped from the Hambantota prison and other anti-social elements entering Tamil Nadu through the sea route.
Intensified patrolling
Asked about the preparedness of the CSG, Mr. Mittal said intensive patrolling was on at the sea, in coordination with the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. The purpose of creating the force was to defend territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles and work with other maritime security agencies.
“We never function independently. We always work with the State and Central agencies in the process of preventing illegal activities in the territorial waters and fishing hamlets along the shoreline. The CSG have established check-posts on all roads leading to the sea and erected watch towers at vantage points,” he said.
Radar inputs
Mr. Mittal said the CSG was getting regular alerts from advanced radars and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, covering the entire coast, and also inputs from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). The Village Vigilance Committees were playing a key role in alerting the CSG on suspicious movement of boats or persons in the coastal districts. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had recently announced the recruitment of 300 Home Guards from fishermen villages.
The Government of India had taken a serious view of coastal security and appointed a National Maritime Security Coordinator. Tamil Nadu would soon appoint a senior officer as State Maritime Security Coordinator, as States were told to nominate a State Maritime Security Coordinator to coordinate and work more closely with other maritime security agencies.
Youth trained
In a novel initiative, the CSG had trained about 520 youth in fishing hamlets to prepare them to join the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and police force. “We are giving them an exposure to the written exam, physical fitness etc…; even if they don’t join the forces, they will remain friends. This will be an ongoing programme and we will continue to build a good rapport with the youth and their family members in coastal villages. Sometimes we go patrolling with the fishermen. They take us to some hidden places in the sea that we had never known before,” he said.
