Isro to help MHA monitor coastal line

New Delhi: Indian space research organisation (Isro) will help Home ministry in launching surveillance on suspicious boats and vessels along the country’s coastal line as part of a plan to further enhance maritime security.

For this Isro will provide at least 1,000 transponders by March next year and the move is aimed at preventing any terror attack from the sea route like the 26/11 Mumbai terror incident.

Officials said for boats which are less than under 20 metres, satellite surveillance has been suggested.

As of now, 19.74 lakh fishermen have been enrolled for biometric identity cards and 18.60 lakhs identity cards have been issued for the same.

An automatic identification system would be installed in all boats above 20 metres.  

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 Nicobar Islands.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) have already been put in place for enhancing security in non-major ports and single point mooring facilities, another official said.

These SOPs were issued to coastal states and Union Territories for better coordination among the stakeholders.

In addition to the coastal mapping has started in all states for entering terrain details, coastal and local police stations, bus stands, fishing villages and fish landing points, the official said.

India’s vast coastline poses a number of security concerns that include landing of arms and explosives at isolated spots on the coast, infiltration by anti-national elements, use of off-shore islands for criminal activities.