States told to speed up Coastal Security Scheme

The Centre’s concern over the security of the coastal regions has not been matched by action from the concerned states.

The Centre’s concern over the security of the coastal regions has not been matched by action from the concerned states. Of a total of 73 police stations sanctioned by the Home Ministry for the coastal states, only 12 have become operational till date.

The matter came up at the conclave of directors and inspector generals of police on Friday with the Centre reminding the states to speed up completion of the Coastal Security Scheme, considered vital for effective vigilance along the coastline.

The project assumes significance in view of intelligence inputs that jehadi groups were planning major strikes on economic installations like oil refineries near the coast. Highlighting the danger, Home Minister Shivraj Patil had also added at the conference that outfits like the LeT were planning to occupy uninhabited islands and turn them into bases for strikes on the mainland.

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Launched in January 2005, the Coastal Security Scheme had an outlay of Rs 400 crore as non-recurring amount and Rs 151 crore as recurring expenses. It envisaged state-of-the-art police stations in all coastal states and UTs at an estimated expenditure of Rs 18-21 lakhs each. However, so far only six have come up in AP, two each in Gujarat and West Bengal and one each in Goa and Kerala.

Officials said some states have not even been able to identify the land on which to set up the units, while in others, stations have been built but not made operational for various reasons. Maharashtra and Gujarat were earmarked as the most crucial states but Operation Swan, launched in the two states, has also not made much headway.

To be manned by the state police, these stations would be entrusted to keep vigil upto a distance of 4 kms from the beach.