Currently, the state has 10 marine police stations. Only one of these, the Somnath marine police station, is headed by a police inspector
MT Pavit, the abandoned ship that drifted to Mumbai all the way from the Oman coast, has galvanised the Gujarat police into enhancing security on the coast. The state police have completed the formalities for starting construction of 12 new marine police stations in the state.
Sources close to the development said the police department has started looking for land for the new marine police stations. The new police stations will cover the coast in places like Kandla, Alang, Mundra, Jakhav, Dholia and some others. They will also improve intelligence gathering by the state police.
As of now, Gujarat has 10 marine police stations and the only police station to be headed by a police inspector is the Somnath Marine police station. The other police stations are headed by police sub-inspectors. The new Marine police stations will be staffed by new as well as experienced police personnel.
The state government has already received the first batch of patrolling boats from the central government. Sources said more such boats will be delivered to the state by the end of the current financial year. The Gujarat police will get a total of 31 new boats from the central government and the number of police stations along the coast will increase from 10 to 22 very soon.
Recent lapses in security on the Gujarat coast, along with the case of MT Pavit drifting unmanned to Mumbai, have made the Gujarat police increase efforts to complete projects related to state's coastal security earlier.
A senior police officer told DNA on the condition of anonymity that the state government had taken serious note of the recent security lapses. It had, therefore, started work in earnest to complete the pending projects as soon as possible.
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