Coastal security needs focused attention: Goa governor

VASCO: Coastal security has emerged as an area of concern in the overall national security scenario which should receive deep concern, serious dialogue and constant and focused surveillance and attention, said governor of Goa Mridula Sinha. She was speaking as chief guest at a function of the commissioning of ships Amartya and Amal and C-410, for the Indian coast guard, at Mormugao Port Trust on Wednesday morning.
Sinha said, “India has a coastline of about 7,500km. This needs to be vigilantly guarded, protected and saved from any intrusion, interference and attack on vital installations on the shore.”
The governor asserted that the coast guard units and men are actively engaged in providing 24x7security in our vast exclusive economic zone. Their role in undertaking various missions such as search and rescue, anti-poaching operations, rendering assistance to mariners and fisher folk in distress, medical evacuation and marine environment protection has been remarkable and well-recognized among the international and national maritime fraternity. Inspector general SPS Basra, commander coast guard region (west), in his welcome address on the maritime security scenario, demanded manifold increase in surveillance for safety of our maritime assets.
Thereafter, Sinha commissioned all three vessels. Ramkripal Sinha, husband of the governor, Sammuel Mathews, secretary sports, officers of the Navy and coast guards were also present at the function. ICGS Amartya and Amal have been designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd and can achieve a maximum speed of 30knots. Both these vessels are 50m in length and have a water displacement of 290 tonnes. These ships are capable of undertaking multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and medical evacuation and have five officers and 34 enrolled personnel each. Amal and Amartya are armed with second to none state-of-the-art navigational and communication equipment and medium range armament.
ICGS C-410 is designed and built by Larson & Turbo, Surat, and is a water jet propelled, high speed interceptor boat with a length of 27.6m, water displacement of 106 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 45knots. It is capable of undertaking shallow water operations like enforcing maritime law and enhancing coastal security. While Amal and C-410 will remain in Goa, Amartya will be in Mangalore. Now, Goa will have three patrolling vessels.
Sinha added, “We cannot allow and tolerate incidents like the Mumbai terrorist attack. The tourism industry in Goa is growing at a fast pace. With threat looming large, security of tourists should be our prime concern.”