Andhra Pradesh - Srikakulam   

‘More marine police stations needed’

Srikakulam: In the backdrop of terrorists taking the sea route to reach Mumbai to create mayhem, cities dotting the vast coastline have now become vulnerable to such attacks. The threat is all the more heightened with the terrorist who was caught alive revealing plans to target the coastal city of Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Recent experience shows that such a possibility exists. Some 17 fishermen from Bangladesh strayed into Indian territorial waters from as far as Chittagong in Bangladesh to Srikakulam without any interception from the Coast Guard all through the 500 nautical miles journey. The entry of foreign fishing vessel deep into the coastal heartland of our country is a grim pointer to the easy route our enemies can take without be challenged. So what needs to be done to prevent our enemies from entering our coastline and protect our citizens?

Says Visakhapatnam Range DIG of Police Sandeep Sandilya: “Sufficient number of marine police stations has to be sanctioned. They even need to be provided with enough patrolling boats. And most importantly, better coordination is required among security agencies involved in protecting our seas.”

Other measures he suggests include registration of fishing vessels with the marine police. Basic information should be displayed on the vessels in bold letters. Committees should be constituted involving citizens to monitor the entry of strangers or foreigners via the sea route so that the marine police could be alerted, Mr. Sandeep Sandilya says.

Ambedkar University Vice-Chancellor S.V. Sudhakar says that sophisticated technology is required for marine police to monitor the movement of any vessel from a distance. People too have a responsibility. They should engage themselves in community policing, he adds.

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‘More marine police stations needed’

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