Mumbai, July 11: A joint security mechanism formed after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Saturday reviewed coastal security measures at a meeting here, an official said.
The Joint Operations Centre (West) (JOC-W) is headed by the commander of the navy’s western command and includes representatives of the Coast Guard, the Maharashtra Police, the Mumbai police, the Mumbai Port Trust and the customs and fisheries departments.
The JOC-W reviewed the coastal and offshore security on the coastal regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Daman & Diu.
Soon the JOC-W will set up a hotline with the National Security Guard’s Mumbai hub that became operational July 1, the official said.
A broadband facility capable of transferring tactical data of the western seaboard between Coast Guard Operations Centre and JOC-W, sophisticated communication systems to communicate with ships and aircraft at sea, and group messaging systems have been installed.
“The co-operation of the fishing community is being sought to serve as the eyes and ears on the seas towards enhancing coastal security,” the official said.
In the past weeks, naval personnel have been visiting coastal police stations to collect data pertaining to security and conducting security awareness campaigns among the coastal populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Earlier, based on intelligence inputs of terrorists likely to sneak in through the sea routes, a join coastal operation code-named “Raah Bandh” was conducted April 28-30, followed by “Raasta Roko” from June 8-10 this year, in which all the stake holders took part, a statement said.
–Agencies