To Avert 26/11-type Terror Attack, ISRO Satellite Imageries to Monitor Suspicious Vessels - JPKee.com
New Delhi, Nov 25: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) satellite imageries will soon monitor movements of suspicious vessels and boats venturing into seas, which will further strengthen the country’s coastal security. According to the Home Ministry, ISRO will provide 1,000 transponders by March next year as part of the coastal security ring, being set up to avert terrorist attacks like 26/11 Mumbai strike.
The satellite monitoring has been proposed for boats under 20 metres, a senior home ministry official said. Post 26/11 Mumbai attack in which 166 people were killed, India has taken several steps to strengthen the coastal security. Ten terrorists reached the financial capital from Pakistan sailing through the Arabian Sea. To cease the infiltration bids by foreign terrorists, India has enrolled 19.74 lakh fishermen for biometric identity cards and of whom, 18.60 lakhs have been issued identity cards.
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An automatic identification system would be installed in all boats above 20 metres for tighter monitoring of suspicious vessels approaching the Indian coast. The colour coding of boats is also being undertaken by coastal states and Union Territories for easier monitoring in the high seas and on the International Maritime Boundary Line. 46 coastal radars and 74 automatic ID systems are placed to monitor the movements of vessels.
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed for dealing with the breach of the International Maritime Boundary Line and SOPs were issued for upgrading security in non-major ports and single point mooring facilities, another Home Ministry official told news agency PTI. The SOPs were issued to coastal states and Union Territories for better coordination among stakeholders, coastal mapping started in states for entering terrain details, coastal and local police stations, bomb disposal facilities, ports railway stations, bus stands, fishing villages and fish landing points, he added.
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India has a coastline of 7,516 km running through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. The country faces several security concerns like infiltration/ex-filtration of anti-national elements and use of the sea and off-shore islands for criminal activities because of its long coastline.
Coastal security is vital as there are nuclear stations, missile launching centres, defence and oil installations along the coast. The absence of physical barriers and the presence of vital industrial and defence installations make coasts vulnerable to illegal cross-border activities. The government has approved a 31,748 crore “definitive five-year action programme” for the Coast Guard in a bid to avert a 26/11-like terror attack in the future.
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Author - Vikash Kumar
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