Defence Minister A K Antony today said the Indian coastline faces threat from African smugglers and LTTE infiltrators.

“There is ample evidence that drug trafficking, piracy and smuggling are not only from our neighbourhood countries but also African nations. LTTE is also using the Tamil Nadu coastline to infiltrate our borders. At such a time we need to expand the capabilities of our Coast Guard,” Antony said at his maiden fleet review of the Coast Guard.

On his maiden trip on board a Coast Guard ship, Antony revealed the Defence Ministry’s plans to establish three coastal police stations at Puducherry, Beypore (Kerala) and Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh). These police stations are specifically being constructed to guard oil and gas fields off Chennai and the Krishna-Godavari basin.

The Defence Minister’s statement comes just days after the Coast Guard intercepted a ship with arms and ammunition, apparently meant for the LTTE, off the coast of Tamil Nadu. “We need to be constantly alert and strengthen our Coast Guard to make it the best in the region,” he said, promising bigger ships and modern equipment to guard oil installation and other infrastructure.

The Coast Guard has massive expansion plans envisaging acquisition of 15 new ships and 23 aircraft which include the multi-mission maritime aircraft, twin-engine helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), to enhance surface and aerial surveillance capability. The Indian Coast Guard’s responsibilites are set to increase with the extension of Exclusive Economic Zone after delineation of the continental shelf.

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