Ten years after the terrorist struck Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is now on verge of raising a separate Costal Marine Police Force (CMPF). The suggestions floated soon after the attacks has been tossing between the Centre and the Coastal states for over past 10 years. An internal status report of Coastal Secuirty accessed by the DNA has now asked the stakeholders --Coastal states, Intelligence Bureau and the MHA to finalise the modalities where the new force will work under a single command.
In the meantime, the report states that the ministry in talks with the states to increase the jurisdiction in land and on sea of all existing coastal police stations. The ministry wants police to have jurisdiction upon coastal villages and on sea by extending it to 200 nautical miles.
As per the report, the ministry has three options -- strengthening of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and taking it over from Ministry of Defence; second to raise a dedicated Indian Reserve Batallion earmarked for costal security under state police; third to create Costal Marine Police Force under its command -- to consider and take a final decision on coastal security.
Upon taking over command of Indian Coast Guard from defence ministry, the matter is rusting in bureaucratic files and bout setting up a new unit -- CMPF, the ministry to take a final decision soon upon the issue, sources in the ministry said.
It also stress upon that the ministry, the Intelligence Bureau, the Coastal states needs to sit together and work upon to set-up a single command system to deal with Coastal security.
India has a coastline of 7,516 kms touching 13 states and union territories and it has around 1,197 islands. Currently, the ministry provides assistance to nine coastal states and union territories under the coastal security scheme. Immediately after 26/11 attacks during which terrorists came to Mumbai through sea route, the Centre allocated several thousand crores for acquisition of fast attack crafts, offshore patrol vessels, coastal surveillance radars and helicopters for the Navy and Coast Guard.
These were aftermath terror attacks short-term measures. But not a single-command force as planned then has been raised to deal with the costal security leading to lack of coordination between the current forces responsible to patrol the costal lines. Currently, there is Indian Coast Guard and Costal local police, raised by states, secure coastal lines. It has been found that there is lack of coordination between these organisations.
So till the time, the final decision of setting up CMPF does not takes places, the document states the ministry to “devise solutions to address coordination issues between state police and ICG”.
Also in the meantime, the report states, “Dedicated cadre of coastal police should be created and recruitment rules should be amended to ensure that local coastal population is well represented in coastal policing set-up.”
On giving more teeth to existing coastal police station, the report points out, “Land coastal revenue villages should be under coastal police stations for better intelligence gathering and on sea the jurisdiction of all coastal police stations may be extended to 200 nautical miles.”
Currently, the ministry has extended the jurisdictional limits for only notified police stations from the existing 12 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles. Around 10 police stations have been notified in the eight states that share the Indian coastline.
As of now, the Indian Navy guards waters beyond 200 nautical miles, ICG mans stretch between 12 and 200 nautical miles;and coastal police guard the coast and waters up to 12 nautical miles.
Further, the ministry in consultation with the coastal states so that “allocation of separate budget by states to ensure that earmarked expenditure is actually incurred on coastal police.”
Also the report states that since the coastal security threats involve local connections in the form of suspected radicalized elements and transportation channels, coastal police should focus on these connections to effectively curb smuggling of contraband substances.
Interestingly, it has been found that many coastal patrolling boats are damaged due no-timely servicing. The reports points, “A system be developed to ensure timely repairing of faulty coastal patrolling boats.”
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