Special forces ready to guard coastal areas

For the coastline of Bengal that is expanded from Digha to Hashnabad,the Indian Navy has allocated four FICs,said Chandra Sekhar Azad,naval officer-in-charge (NOIC),West Bengal.

“For the SPB,we are people who have two-year stint in coast guard service. The entire force will work under the NOIC,Bengal. This force will protect the naval assets. It is a dedicated setup,which will be responsible for the security of the coastline and the offshore as well,” said Azad.

The state government has,meanwhile,also sanctioned a special force called Sagar Surakhsha Bal (SSB). “The state has decided to form the SSB by raising people for the coastal hamlets of Bengal for the post of coast-guards. The idea of recruiting people from the hamlet is to strengthen the local intelligence in the areas,” added Azad.

The force will keep a vigil on the boats sneaking into the country from Bangladesh. Vessels weighing beyond 300 tons will be intercepted and if anything suspicious is found in those vessels,it will be handed over to the civil administration,said Azad.

“Everyday many persons — mostly illegal immigrants — try to infiltrate through the waterways. All of them are caught and handed over to the local administration,since the Navy does not have the mandate to prosecute. However,as per my knowledge most of them are innocent fishermen who try to infiltrate for earning their livelyhood,but there are some who might be involved in terrorist activities also,” Azad added.