The Indian Coast Guard will continue to induct newer platforms and build the support infrastructure for these new inductions, according to SPS Basra, Commander of the Western Region of the Indian Coast Guard.
Speaking at the commissioning of air cushion vehicles (ACVs) in New Mangalore on Monday, he said the proposed augmentation caters to the effective strength of 150 surface platforms and 100 aircraft by 2018. Induction of these assets in the service will strengthen the already existing capability of the Indian Coast Guard to respond to any challenges, he said.
On the coastal security exercises, he said regular conduct of security exercises involving all stakeholders had strengthened the coastal security mechanism. These initiatives have also resulted in increase in synergy among various agencies and helped to plug the lacunae in coordination.
He said the Coast Guard is in the process of setting up a Coast Guard air enclave in Mangalore in the near future. The real challenge for the Coast Guard in Karnataka will be to find a suitable place for berthing its assets.
He requested the State authorities to hand over land at Karwar on priority so that these ACVs could freely operate and provide assistance to fishermen in distress.