Coastal security on Duggal’s Male agenda

A four-member team headed by Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal will leave for Maldives tomorrow to hold discussions on strengthening bilateral relations in security matters...

A four-member team headed by Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal will leave for Maldives tomorrow to hold discussions on strengthening bilateral relations in security matters, especially coastal security, between the two countries.

The visit is significant in the light of Home Minister Shivaraj Patil’s disclosure at the recent conference of states’ police chiefs that there is constant threat to India’s coastline from terrorist outfits. He had said that Lashkar was conducting special training for terrorist operatives to sabotage oil installations in the country. On the basis of intelligence reports with the Centre, Patil had warned about terrorist plans to occupy some uninhabited islands and use them as bases for launching operations against India.

The Home Secretary is likely to raise issues arising out of this with his counterpart in Male. Duggal will also discuss measures to increase cooperation between the two countries for tackling terrorism, organised crimes and smuggling of narcotics.

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The Centre feels that among all the coastal states, Gujarat and Maharashtra face maximum security threat. While Gujarat faces terrorist threats because of its proximity to Pakistan, the fears about Maharashtra is because of the wide terrorist networks that have spread inside the state.

Keeping these in mind, the Centre has launched Operation Swan to check terrorist infiltration in these states by raising the level of coastal security. The Centre’s plan for coastal states includes setting up of coastal police stations, increased patrolling, and use of faster patrol boats.