Coast Guard to have three ports in Lakshadweep

Coast Guard to have three ports in Lakshadweep
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Kochi, June 30: The Indian Coast Guard is planning three ports on the Lakshadweep islands for making policing in the western coast more effective.

Apart from intensifying patrolling, these stations will also help improve interaction with the islanders, deputy inspector-general Prabhakaran Paleri told mediapersons here on Thursday.

The Coast Guard also has plans to work together with the island administration for the speedy disposal of cases involving foreign fishing vessels. At present they have to be brought to the mainland. ``But once we have an arrangement on the islands, it will save time,'' he said.

The Coast Guard also views this as a measure which would impart more confidence among the islanders ``who are a bit agoraphobic for being left alone far away from the mainland. We already have launched several welfare schemes for them...It's like each Coast Guard ship taking care of one island,'' Paleri said.

``One of the most important expansion plan is the setting up of a Coast Guard station at Vizhinjam. The project is awaiting Central nod. Once this is obtained, we'll work together with the state government for completing it within a couple of years.''

Apart from this, the Coast Guard will also procure more ships and aircraft for deployment in the western theatre. A proposal for buying a hovercraft has already been cleared. An air station on the western coast would also be set up, said Paleri, who commands the western coast from Pakistan to Lakshadweep.

``We are also buying a long-range reconnaissance aircraft. This would enhance the efficacy of the Coast Guard in curbing dumping of toxic waste and poaching in our territorial waters.'' Incidents of poaching is on the decrease. In the seventies and eighties, huge foreign shipping vessels went scot-free after scooping our marine wealth. But today it is more or less small boats.

About possible Pakistani machinations behind apparently innocent fishing activity, Paleri said India couldn't get any concrete proof to confirm this theory. ``But we are watchful.''

He said the Coast Guard was progressing as an effective force along the envisaged graph. The budget allocation is fair enough, but we need more officers.