To strengthen security along Maharashtra’s coastline, the coast guard will soon have an operational base station at Murud in Raigad district, 165 km from Mumbai.
It will be commissioned on September 29 by the force’s director-general Anil Chopra.
After the 26/11 terror attack, coastal security has been high on the government’s priority list.
The Maharashtra coastline is 720-km long, lying along the districts of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The coast guard has only one base station in the state, which is in Mumbai.
All coast guard operations like search and rescue, sea patrolling, and oil spill mitigation are being carried out from the Mumbai base. Offshore and inshore patrol vessels, and high-speed interceptor craft have to take off from the Mumbai station.
The Murud base station will help the coast guard man the coastline better and prompt quicker response in rescue and search cases.
A senior coast guard officer said: “The Murud base station was activated on June 23. Since the jetty at present cannot be used for the berthing of our vessels, we will create a raft 50 metres in the creek from the coast. Further, there will be a floating pontoon, which will be used for the anchoring of our interceptor vessels and also for power backup from generators installed there.
“Though the base will be commissioned on September 29, the coast guard has kept operations active at Murud and the coastal areas of Mandwa, Alibag, and Uran.
“During the recent oil spill near Mumbai, our officers had been coordinating with the district administration and other government agencies.”
The station, in its first phase, will have two officers and 15 sailors. Initially, two high-speed interceptor vessels will be positioned there. The coast guard will also have a jetty built near the Dighi port, near Murud.
In the second phase, two or three officers and 35 to 40 sailors will be posted at the base station. Also, an office building will come up.
In the third and final phase, a building for accommodation and allied facilities will come up, along with an office and control room. Three or four officers and 70 sailors will be posted at the station. This will take about two years from the date of commissioning.
A coast guard officer said: “The station has been funded by the Union home ministry. But the delay was due to time-consuming coordination between state and central agencies. Also, land allotment and other issues took time.”
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