Consequently, a comprehensive coastal surveillance project for coastal radar network along the Indian coastline was formulated for beefing up of coastal security, including the littoral nations such as Bangladesh and Maldives

In the aftermath of Kargil operations in July 1999, a high-powered committee designated as the Group of Ministers was formed under the chairmanship of the then Home Minister L.K. Advani with the main charter of “Reforming the National Security System”. The Group of Ministers in their report commented on coastal security by stating that the concept of border security has undergone a sea change with the growing vulnerability of the coastline and also of the airspace of states and island territories.

Division of Responsibility

There is a multi-tier arrangement for maritime security, involving the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the concerned marine police. Coastal patrolling is done by the State Marine Police whose jurisdiction extends up to 12 nautical miles (about 22 km), ICG functions between 12 and 200 nautical miles (about 22 km to 370 km), which is the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the Indian Navy extends beyond 200 nautical miles. Aerial surveillance is carried out by the Indian Navy and the ICG.

Coastal Security Scheme (CSS)

To strengthen coastal security, a CSS was formulated to cover nine coastal states and four Union Territories (UTs). Phase-I of the scheme was approved in January 2005 for implementation in five years from the year 2005-06 and extended for one year till March 31, 2011. The scheme included 73 coastal police stations, 120 x 12 tonne and 84 x 5 tonne vessels, 10 rubber inflated boats especially for Goa, apart from accommodation and other administrative equipment. The scheme stands completed on March 31, 2011.

Radars have been installed at Nabhadra, Dwarka, Porbandar, Mangrol, Jafrabad, Gopnath, Hazira and the Union Territory of Daman. The main control room has been set up at Indian Coast Guard’s Porbandar station. These radars would be able to detect fishing boats at a distance of 20 nautical miles and big ships as far as 50 nautical miles from the shore even in the night. Importantly, low-flying aircraft too would be within their range. The radars are equipped with an optical system, which will capture the images of the vessels at a distance of 10 nautical miles from the shore. Installation of coastal radar network is considered an important development towards securing India’s coastlines.

Coastal Security Post Mumbai, 26/11

Comprehensive measures duly approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the aftermath of Mumbai 26/11 terrorist attack. Salient features of the scheme were:

• The Indian Navy has been made responsible for overall maritime security, which includes both coastal and offshore security duly assisted by the ICG, State Marine Police and other Central and State agencies.
• Four Joint Operation Centres (JOCs) are to be established.
• A National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3IN) network would be established for real-time Maritime Domain Awareness.
• The Indian Navy will also control all ICG joint operations.
• A specialised force, called Sagar Prahari Bal comprising 1,000 personnel and 80 Fast Interception Crafts (FIC) of the Indian Navy will be raised.
• Force levels to be increased wherever required.
• Necessary coastal organisations for ICG will be established.
• The DG lCG is designated as the ‘Commander Coastal Command’ and made responsible for overall coordination.
• Setting up of Static Coastal Radar Chain and a comprehensive network chain of Automatic Identification System (AIS) stations will be established.

Consequently, a comprehensive coastal surveillance project for coastal radar network along the Indian coastline was formulated for beefing up of coastal security, including the littoral nations such as Bangladesh and Maldives. With this perspective in view a high level committee has formalised a comprehensive plan for setting up a coastal surveillance and coastal radar network all along the coastline of Indian peninsula.

The coastal surveillance scheme was conceived to operate through a chain of electro-optic sensors (radars and day and night cameras) which were to be installed on lighthouses and towers that look out at the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The data picked up from multiple sensors all along the coast will be transmitted to surveillance centres located in the interior. The data will then be integrated through ‘data fusion’ techniques to give a lucid operational picture.

The entire project for coastal surveillance through radars and sensors was carried out in two phases. In Phase-1, the ICG has set up 46 electro-optic sensor stations in high-threat areas, and 12 Remote Operating Stations. This will be expanded in Phase-2 to cover the entire coastline within three years. The 12 Remote Operating Stations feed into one of four Regional Operating Centres at Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Visakhapatnam. Finally, all this information is fed in real time to the apex Control Centre at New Delhi, where it will be integrated to present a nationwide perspective.

Stepping up its vigil, the Coast Guard has planned to set up 16 radar networks along the Eastern coastal region for enhancing the surveillance capabilities a Coastal Surveillance Radar Network along the coastline is being established, out of which 16 are planned for the Eastern region. In a move to keep the EEZ on the Eastern coast under continuous vigil, a major thrust has been accorded by operating nine ships and three aircraft daily. Besides, new Coast Guard stations at Krishnapatnam, Nizampattnam, Kolkata, Frazergunj and Gopalpur were commissioned.

Likewise, to beef up coastal surveillance and security on the West, ICG has already commissioned its coastal security network in Maharashtra at Dahanu. This was the second ICG station in Maharashtra after ICGS Murud-Janjira to have been commissioned.

Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System

Kochi naval harbour has become the first in the country to get a topnotch defence system, which enables operators to foresee, and respond to, surface and subsurface threats to vital assets along the harbour and warships berthed alongside. The Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS), a state-of-the-art automated system capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and generating warning for surface and subsurface threats, was commissioned by Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, on July 31, 2015. The system, comprises a cluster of coastal surveillance radars, high-power underwater sensors and diver detection sonar, has been designed by IAI-Elta.

Besides Kochi, naval harbours at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair are also slated to be equipped with IUHDSS harbour surveillance. The multi-agency Joint Operations Centre, set up at these places to coordinate coastal security operations, will receive realtime images relayed by these sensors and the command and control of the operations launched in response to threats will vest with the coastal defence Commanders-in-Chief, Flag Officers Commanding-in-Chief of the three naval commands and the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command.