With incidents of piracy and suspected poaching occurring near India’s Lakshadweep Islands, the government has ordered setting up of two Coast Guard establishments in Lakshadweep. Defence minister A.K. Antony will also be visiting Lakshadweep on Friday.
The two Coast Guard establishments will be the Indian Coast Guard District Headquarters-12 at Kavaratti and the Coast Guard Station at Minicoy.
“The Headquarters at Kavaratti will facilitate closer coordination among the Coast Guard, Union Territory officials and other maritime stakeholders on matters concerning maritime interest. It will be instrumental in executing quick decisions for fast developing situations at sea,” the ministry of defence (MoD) said on Wednesday.
“Increasing incidents of piracy very near to Lakshadweep in recent times have added a whole new dimension to threat perception in the region,” the government stated.
The defence minister informed the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence that “the government is making all out efforts in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack to ensure security of the coastal regions” and added that “there has been a sea-change in the government’s approach to coastal security after this tragic incident”.
“In recent years, the MoD has been able to ensure improved results in the delivery of warships and submarines. During 2009-2010, these numbers stood at 120 vessels for the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and coastal states. In the current financial year, 85 vessels have already been delivered and by March 2011, a total of 127 vessels will be delivered,” the minister informed the committee.