The first Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on the functioning of the Coast Guard since the Mumbai attacks has pointed out several issues that need to be dealt with to make the coastal area secure.

The CAG said that about 72 per cent of fast patrol aircraft are too old and need to be replaced. Similarly, nearly 50 per cent of offshore patrol vessels had to be replaced with modern communication systems and weaponry. “In the Tenth plan not a single vessel or aircraft was added to the Coast Guard fleet even though procurement was finalised during this period,” said Rekha Gupta, CAG official.

The CAG pointed out that only five of the 14 new coastal stations sanctioned after the Mumbai terror attacks are operational. Some of these stations are operating on temporarily leased land without adequate equipment or facilities. It remarked that the Coast Guard’s 15-year perspective plans extending to 2017 and 2022 remain unapproved by the government. It also describes the plans as unrealistic and unachievable. The terrorists of the Mumbai attacks came by sea.