Introduction

India has 7,516 kilometer long coastline which includes 5,422 kilometers of coastline in mainland and 2,094 kilometers of coastline bordering around 1382 islands. The peninsular coastline of India is shaped by Bay of Bengal in east, Indian Ocean in south and Arabian Sea in west and is spread over nine states and four union territories, namely, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal. There are two island groups: Lakshadweep and Minicoy in Arabian Sea and Andaman and Nicobar in Bay of Bengal (Annual Report 2011-2012, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2012).

India‟s coasts are characterized by a diverse range of topography such as creeks, small bays, back waters, rivulets, lagoons, estuaries, swamps, mudflats, as well as hills, rocky outcrops, sandbars, beaches and small islands. The waters bodies and river channels run deep inside the coasts, making the shoreline highly indented. Due to their remoteness these coastal approaches to the mainland often remain unguarded, or poorly guarded, thereby providing ideal spots for the clandestine landings of arms, explosives and other contraband by smugglers as well as infiltration by terrorists (Annual Report 2011-2012, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2012). The creeks along the coasts of Gujarat and West Bengal‟s Sundarbans‟ are the most preferred routes for infiltration and smuggling. These creeks create a maze of channels, which weave in and out of international borders. Such a terrain makes the border extremely porous to infiltration and smuggling. The dense mangroves provide refuge to infiltrators during low tide and numerous islands and sandbars which dot the entire coastline provide the ideal hideaways for infiltrators and their contraband. Boats can easily land and disappear in stealth, and avoid detection by taking advantage of the topography (Das, 2009). There are 1,376 landing points along the entire coast (Government of India, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, ).

External challenges emanating from across the border such as infiltration, illegal migration, smuggling, terrorism etc. aggravate the internal security problem. Serial blasts of March 1993 and terrorist attacks of November 2008 in Mumbai happened because of poorly guarded maritime border. On both occasions, criminals and terrorists entered India through the sea (Das, 2014). While some steps like Operation Swan were undertaken to patrol coasts off Mumbai in wake of March 1993 terrorist attacks, concrete measures to secure the coasts had to await terrorist attack of November 2008 (Das, 2014). The Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 when 10 terrorists from Pakistan sneaked into Mumbai through the sea by hijacking an Indian fishing trawler demonstrated that coastal borders are vulnerable to infiltration (Ministry of Home, 2008).

Fishing remains primary source of livelihood for coastal population. India is 7th largest fishing nation in the world and Indian coasts accounts for approximately 4 million fishermen settled along the coast in 3288 marine fishing villages. Besides fishing, other major industrial activities such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, oil exploration and refining etc. are also concentrated in coastal areas. Indian coasts also house number of urban centers which are hub for industrial and economic activities. There are number of scientific research centers, nuclear power stations, defence installations, energy infrastructure, shipyards, refineries located in coastal regions which are vital for India. Indian coasts house 13 major ports and 147 intermediate / minor ports facilitating large scale sea trade which are cheapest means of transportation. About 90% of our foreign trade by volume and nearly 70% by value of external trade are through seas. However, existence of these high value assets has increased the vulnerability of India‟s coasts to terrorist attacks (Annual Report 2011-2012, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2012).

The seas around India are one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and known for transportation of 75% of world‟s maritime trade and half the world‟s daily oil consumption. Under provisions of UNCLOS III (United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea), India has claim over huge adjacent sea space in multiple maritime zones with enforcement rights. It has sovereign jurisdiction over territorial waters that extends up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, criminal jurisdiction in matters like smuggling, immigration, pollution, etc. over contiguous zone which extends to 24 nautical miles from the coast and jurisdiction over vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for economic exploitation which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast and continental shelf beyond it. The EEZ is spread over 3.1 million sq km which can be used for exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing ocean resources like fishing, ocean mining, drilling for oil and gas etc. Thus vast coastal sea area is reservoir of natural resources like sea- food items and petroleum and natural gases. India has large number offshore infrastructure in coastal waters / EEZ. Such infrastructures include manned and unmanned platforms, oil wells, oil rigs, large number of different types of support vessels. Such structures become very attractive targets for terrorists. Thus, India‟s development is closely linked to maritime environment and hence it is logical to ensure security and sea governance of coastal areas.

India‟s coasts have been vulnerable to anti-national activities like smuggling of goods, gold, narcotics, explosives, arms and ammunition as well as infiltration of terrorists into India through these coasts. Government is implementing corrective measures from time to time (Das, 2013).

Physical proximity of India‟s coasts to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Gulf countries adds to its vulnerability. India has faced cross-border terrorism for long. With increased deployment of security forces and surveillance equipment, security along land borders has been sufficiently tightened. However, security over ocean domain with sea routes remain poorly guarded.

The eastern Indian seaboard has been increasingly witnessing a steady increase in illegal migration from Bangladesh. Various „push and pull‟ factors such as poverty, demographic pressure, religious persecution in Bangladesh and promise of better opportunities in India have contributed to this migration. Earlier, almost all illegal migration from Bangladesh used to take place into Northeastern states of India through poorly guarded land border. But now, with construction of fences along land border, sea routes are exploited to enter India.

Indian coasts are prosperous and support a dense population residing in numerous big and small towns and cities that dot the coastline. Access to sea through major and non-major ports has facilitated setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which have resulted in growth of number of industrial hubs such as: Kandla SEZ in Gujarat; Santa-Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone SEZ in Maharashtra; Madras Export Processing Zone SEZ in Tamil Nadu; Cochin SEZ in Kerala; Falta SEZ in West Bengal; and Vishakhapatnam SEZ in Andhra Pradesh. This process of industrialization along the coast has been further boosted by import of crude oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). In case of Gujarat, Gulfs of Kutch and Khambhat have emerged as major corridors for importing crude oil for India. This has opened up avenues for establishment of oil refineries and storage tanks by major oil companies, especially along Saurashtra coast in Vadinar, Salaya, Sikka and Jamnagar as well as LNG terminals in Hazira and Dahej. Similarly, import of LNG through various ports in west coast has led to planning and construction of a number of terminals at Dabhol, Kochi, Mundra, Ennore, Mangalore and Mundra. Also, single mooring points (SPM) or single buoy points (SBMs) have been constructed in seabed from where these oil refineries, storage tanks and LNG terminals receive oil and gas.

Discovery of oil and gas in the sea has also led to development of offshore oil and gas platforms in coastal waters of India. Along west coast, Mumbai offshore basin has largest oil and gas producing field which includes fields of Mumbai High, Heera, Neelam and Bassein. The basin produced an average 348,740 barrels of crude oil per day, and 48.19 million standard cubic meters of gas per day in fiscal year ending March 2011. In eastern seaboard, huge off-shore oil and gas reserves have been discovered in Cauvery and Krishna-Godavari (K-G) basins. In Cauvery basin, three offshore oil and gas fields have been discovered and extraction of oil and gas has started.

The Indian coasts also have strategic installations such as naval bases, power plants, satellite and missile ranges, ports. The eastern, western, southern and far eastern naval commands are located in Vishakhapatnam, Mumbai, Kochi, and Port Blair respectively. India‟s largest naval base, with a capability of housing 30 warships, is being built at Karwar on Karnataka coast. Nuclear power plants at Tarapur, Kudankulam, Kalpakkam have been established close to the sea. Satellite launching and missile testing facilities such as Satish Dhawan Space Centre and Wheeler Islands missile facility are located along the coast. India has 13 major ports such as Kandla, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mangalore, Haldia, which handle 90 per cent of India‟s maritime trade. These strategic installations are vital for development of India but are high value targets for terrorists.

Disputed Maritime Boundary

Unsettled maritime boundaries pose serious security challenges and also hinder offshore development. India‟s maritime boundaries with Pakistan and Bangladesh are not delineated because of overlapping claims. Settlement of maritime boundary with Pakistan hinges upon settlement of riverine border along the Sir Creek. The dispute regarding delineation of border in the Sir Creek dates back to 1908, when rulers of Kutch and Sindh fought over a pile of wood lying on the banks of Sir Creek, which divided the two provinces. The dispute was resolved in years 1914 and 1924 but was resurrected in 1965 when Pakistan claimed half of Rann of Kutch. The dispute was referred to international tribunal for arbitration. The tribunal pronounced its judgment in 1968, upholding 90 per cent of India‟s claim in Rann of Kutch. The tribunal did not take into consideration issue of delimitation of boundary along Sir Creek as it deemed the issue as already resolved (Noorani, 1994). Sir Creek is a 96 kilometer long estuary which is located in Rann of Kutch between India and Pakistan. India asserts that boundary in Sir Creek should be defined according to „thalweg principle‟, i.e. boundary line lies in middle of the channel. Pakistan contests this and argues that Sir Creek is not a navigable channel and, therefore, principle of mid- channel does not apply. It claims that boundary lies on eastern bank of the channel, which makes Sir Creek part of Pakistan. It also insists that boundary along Sir Creek has to be delineated first in order to delimit maritime boundary between two countries (Roychoudhury, 1999). India however maintains that maritime boundary should be determined first, which can be done „by beginning with mutually acceptable points from shore line of India and Pakistan, 250 kilometer out to sea, and working inwards to plot the boundary‟(Joshi, 2012).

With Bangladesh, the dispute is over the principle on which maritime boundary between the two countries should be delineated. India insists on „equidistant/„median-line‟ principle i.e. „low water‟ sea baseline; Bangladesh prefers „equitable‟ principle i.e. „straight baseline‟ based on 10-fathom depth criteria to offset concavity of its coastline. The appearance of a small island near the confluence of Ichhamati and Rai Mangal rivers in the aftermath of cyclone Bhola in 1970 further complicated the dispute as the island was claimed by both India and Bangladesh. The 3- kilometres long and 3.5 kilometers wide island was called New Moore in India and Talpatti in Bangladesh. Negotiations to resolve the dispute between India and Bangladesh first started in 1982 were unsuccessful. Talks were revived again in 2008, without success. In 2009, New Moore Island disappeared. This did not contribute to resolution of dispute as Bangladesh on October 6, 2009, instituted arbitral proceedings for delimitation of maritime boundary with India,

Coastal Security System

There is a multi-tier arrangement for protection and maritime security of India involving Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police of coastal States and Union Territories. The surveillance on high seas is carried out along limits of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the Navy and the Coast Guard. In territorial waters, the Coast Guards protect the Indian interests with vessels and through aerial surveillance. Coastal patrolling close to shallow waters is done by State Marine Police. The State‟s jurisdiction extends up-to 12 nautical miles in the shallow territorial waters.

For securing the coasts, multi-layered arrangement of sea-patrols and surveillance has been put in place. In first layer, i.e. from the coast till 5 nautical miles, marine police patrol the sea. In intermediate layer, i.e. between 5 nautical miles and 200 nautical miles, the coast guard is deployed. Beyond that, it is responsibility of the Indian Navy.

Apart from these security agencies, customs department also patrols the sea till 24 nautical miles (Das, 2014).

A variety of electronic equipment have been deployed for surveillance and detection for coastal security purposes. All fishing trawlers and other vessels are required to be fitted with navigational and communication equipment (for vessels above 20 meters AIS transponder B) to enable easy identification and tracking (Annual Report 2011-2012, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2012). All major ports are being made International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code compliant with Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) and Ship Security Alert Systems being installed (Das, 2014). Bio-metric identity cards are being issued to all fishermen for their identification by security forces at sea (Annual Report 2011-2012, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2012)

Coastal Security Scheme Phase-I

Keeping in view the vulnerability of the coasts to the activities of criminals and anti- national elements, a Coastal Security Scheme Phase-I was formulated. The Scheme was approved in January 2005 for implementation in 5 years from 2005-06. The Scheme was extended for one year till March 2011. Coastal Security Scheme Phase-I stands completed on March 2011 (Annual Report, 2012-13:.40). Coastal States/ UTs were provided with 73 Coastal Police Stations, 97 Check posts, 58 Outposts and 30 Barracks equipped with 204 boats, 153 Four Wheelers, 312 Motorcycles and 10 Rubber Inflatable Boats. 204 boats have been procured centrally by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Construction work of Coastal Police Stations, barracks, check posts, out posts and procurement of vehicles has been done by Coastal States/ UTs (Lok Sabha Starred Question no.344, dated 18.12.2012). Further, a lump sum assistance of `10 lakhs per Coastal Police Station was also given for computers and equipments etc. (Update by Ministry of Home Affairs on 16.12.2013).

Initiatives after 26/11 Mumbai Incident

Subsequent to the Mumbai incident on 26/11, coastal security has been thoroughly reviewed by Government of India. The coastal States/ UTs were asked to carry out vulnerability/gap analysis in consultation with Coast Guard to firm up their additional requirements for formulation of Phase-II Scheme of the Coastal Security. After getting detailed proposals from coastal States/UTs, the Coastal Security Scheme (Phase-II) has been approved.

Other Remedial Measures taken are:-

• The Indian Navy has been designated as authority responsible for overall maritime security which includes coastal security and offshore security. The Indian Coast Guard has been additionally designated as authority responsible for coastal security in territorial waters including areas to be patrolled by Coastal Police.
• Training to Policemen deployed in coastal police stations is imparted by Indian Coast Guard.
• The Government of India has decided to set up Marine Police Training Institute (MPTI), one each on East Coast and West Coast to train marine police personnel.
• Monitoring and assessment of coastal security system is an ongoing process. National Committee on Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS), under Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary monitors progress in respect of coastal security initiatives. In addition coastal security exercises are followed by conduct of debriefing and sharing of lessons learnt between all the stakeholders along with interactions with fishermen and State agencies through coastal security awareness programs. The coastal security exercises and review are an ongoing process which ensure interoperation and seamless coastal security (Lok Sabha unstarred Question no.3849 dated 17.12.2012).
• Ministry of Shipping has been mandated to streamline process of compulsory registration and identification of all types of vessels.
• Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries has been mandated to issue biometric ID cards to all fishermen.
• The Coast Guard has been mandated to create a chain of radar sensors along the Indian coastline.
• Navy has set up 4 joint operation centers at Mumbai, Viskhapatanam, Kochi and Port Blair under the charge of existing naval C-in-Cs as the C-in Cs Coastal Defense.
• A Sagar Prahari Bal with a special force comprising of 1000 specialized personnel and 80 Fast Interceptor Crafts for force security protecting of naval bases has been raised (Lok Sabha Question no.344, dated 18.12.2012).

Since November 2008, several initiatives have been taken by the Government to strengthen security of coastal areas against threat of non-state actors from the sea. One significant achievement has been the integration of all maritime stakeholders, including several State and Central agencies into the new coastal security mechanism. Indian Navy has established four Joint Operations Centers (JOC); at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair. As a result of this, there is good coordination, synergy and understanding between all agencies. All coastal security operations are now coordinated from the Joint Operations Centre, which are manned round the clock by Naval and Coast Guard teams. In addition, the State Marine Police and other agencies such as Customs, Intelligence Bureau and Ports etc. are also networked with these centers.

Technology on the Coastal Security Fronts

A typical Coastal Security Management System required to address the security concerns would be through a mix of technology facilitating surveillance, identification, command and control applications. Towards this there are large array of technologies with potential applications to coastal security management system and most of these technologies fit into one of the three categories i.e. surveillance, identification and command & control.

Surveillance System

The surveillance sensor network serves as the eyes and ears of the system. A combination of sensors can track individuals and objects over varying distances, providing higher resolution as the target gets closer to the coastline. Sensor network can include combination of the various types of technologies such as radar, Automated Identification System (AIS), Electro Optical/Infra Red (EO/IR) System, Identification system, Command and Control system, etc.

Radar

Radar is most commonly used device for active detection of targets at sea. Advancement in radar technology facilitates detection of even smaller targets in bad weather and at longer ranges. Modern radars show silhouette of object along with its dimensions which aids in identification.

Automated Identification System (AIS)

Identification at sea remains one of the key concerns of security personnel. AIS is a new technology developed to avoid collisions at sea which has proved very useful in identification of dubious targets by elimination of targets giving out their information. Electro-Optical (EO) / Infra Red (IR) System An EO/IR system provides the ability to distinguish land terrain, sea and waterway features and contacts, such as small boats and patrol craft in coastal environment where surface radar performance is limited and enable 24 x7 day and night surveillance.

X-Ray Systems

There are x-ray systems which can create image of any object, detect chemical, biological and radioactive substances which can be used in enhancing Port security.

Sonar

A sonar network can be deployed along the contour of coastline for detection of intrusion being attempted either underwater or on surface.

Identification System

Identity cards remain key tool of identification of individual in coastal security environment. There has been advancement in identification technologies and some of the latest technologies commonly used for security purposes hold promise in identification of terrorists at sea if trying to infiltrate amidst fishermen are:

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

RFID is a technology used where card is attached with tag which contain required information which can be read by RFID card reader.

Aadhar Card

Aadhar Card scheme in India is being used for identification of individuals in a big way.

Biometric

Biometrics technologies facilitates measuring and analysis of human body characteristics, such as DNA, fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns and hand measurements, for authentication purposes.

Command and Control System

A command and control system takes inputs from sensors and carries out data fusion of different types of sensors, analyses and generates operating procedures for responding to potential threats. Such systems basically consist of the following: –

Data Storage Devices

Modern technology facilitate large number advanced data storage devices which are bigger and more efficient for storing vast information collected every second from radar, sonar, optical devices, cameras, intelligence inputs, stored information and data mining software etc.

Communication Devices

Communication technologies are advanced in terms of clarity, security, efficiency etc. and provide seamless communication. Such technologies are associated with networks, network management and advanced radio communication systems.

India’s Coastal Security

Post Kargil war, the Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) was formulated for strengthening infrastructure for patrolling and surveillance of the coastal areas, particularly shallow water areas close to coast to check and counter illegal cross border activities and criminal activities using sea. It has envisaged layered patrolling of our coastal waters. Accordingly, High Seas patrol by the Navy, EEZ patrol by the Coast Guard, Close coast patrol by marine police and seafront area patrolling by respective authorities having sea frontage has been implemented. Immediately after 26/11 number of additional measures have also been instituted like vulnerability/ gap analysis of the coasts by the Coast Guard; streamlining of the process of registration of all types of vessels; ensuring fitment of navigational and communication equipment on fishing boats; issue of identity cards to all fishermen; deployment of Interceptor boats by the navy, coast guard and the marine police; setting up of coastal police stations; establishment of additional Coast Guard Stations; etc. Similarly, efforts are in hand to enhance coastal surveillance by using modern technologies and towards this the following are implemented / in process of being implemented:

• Setting up Coastal Radar and AIS chain all along the coast and on island territories for 24X7 surveillance.
• Installation of Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) in all important Ports and Channels to ensure safety and security of Ports/ harbors and shipping in the channels.
• Vessel Air Traffic Management System (VATMS) has been installed in Offshore Development Areas for enhancing surveillance of the offshore installations.
• Joint Operations Centres (JOCs) have been set up as Command and Control hubs for better sea governance. It is being facilitated to receive 24X7 information from the sea and intelligence inputs and have communication facilities to control coastal security operations.
• Establishment the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence network (NC3I) at Gurgaon as a part of an effort to enhance maritime domain awareness is an over-arching coastal security network capable of collating data about ships, dhows, fishing boats, and all other vessels operating near the coast.

India will now allow its police stations on land to extend their jurisdiction to 200 nautical miles into the high seas. The Union Home Ministry has extended the jurisdictional limits for notified police stations from the existing 12 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles by issuing a government notification. As many as 10 police stations have already been notified in the eight states that share the Indian coastline. Following the 26/11 terror attacks, the Coast Guard were made responsible for securing Indian territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles (about 22 kilometers) from the shore, and new coastal police stations had been proposed to maintain security up to five nautical miles from the shore. The new limits of 200 nautical miles for land police will now add greater depth to the patrolling. The extension was an important development in allowing a greater say to local police while dealing with cases of smuggling and terrorism. This is an important development in an attempt to secure India‟s 7,516-km-long coastline. Each state, just like how Mumbai has the Yellow Gate police station, will have its own notified station with a territory jurisdiction of 200 nautical miles. Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh approved proposal by Maharashtra Chief Minister Mr. Devendra Fadnavis to create Central Marine Police Force to patrol Indian coast line. Marine policing is a specialised job, so a central marine police force be created to protect sea, coast, ports and vital installations.

Limitations of Coastal Security Measures

Coastal Security measures implemented post 26/11 has enhanced surveillance and patrolling of Coastal areas. There are still some challenges which need to be taken care of, such as:

• Detection of small boats which are being increasingly used by the non-state actors fo their operations remains a daunting task especially so in dark and bad weather conditions.
• Physical Guarding of Coast is not feasible by positioning security men all along the coast and at the sea like a typical „bandobast‟ undertaken on land by the Police to nab criminal or terrorist.
• Identification at sea continues to remain a challenge as coastal waters are highly crowded. Identification of a target boat midst large number of our own fishing boat and dense shipping traffic is very difficult. Unregulated fishing further complicates identification of friendly or foe. Further, identification of personnel manning boats is equally difficult in the absence suitable identity cards.
• Identification problem is not only for small boats like the one used by Kasab for 26/11 attacks, but it also includes identification of thousands of containers and cargo vessels that call at our Ports or pass close to our coasts to prevent smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives and human trafficking.
• Availability of information with the help of surveillance technologies in itself is of no great advantage unless the available information is analyzed, actionable information is generated and used appropriately. Thus use of technology holds the key.
• Major ports are generally secured and it is the other dense traffic areas which have still not got the required attention from the coastal security planners and are most likely to be exploited by the terrorists/non-state actors.
•  Integration of Maritime Stakeholders continues to remain a key concern. There is a requirement of sharing information among all the agencies for coordinated action against the common threat. Regular communication and flow of information between the stakeholders can only be facilitated with help of modern technology.

Recommendations

Whilst number of steps are being taken to overcome above limitations, it is imperative that innovative use of advanced technology be resorted to aid detection and identification of targets, integration of all stakeholders, generation of actionable information and directing own security forces to neutralize the threat. Towards this following steps are recommended: –

• To develop our own AIS type which can be easily fitted on smaller craft which operate in our coastal waters to aid detection and identification. Presently, fitment of AIS is mandated only for vessels greater than 300 Tonnage.
• Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT) is provided by Coast Guard to transmit emergency condition and position location to central hub station via UHF transponder of INSAT for rescue operation. This technology could be innovatively used to indicate likely threat observed by our own fishermen while at sea.
• Use of Aadhar card is being propagated as the main identity document for all important purposes including financial transactions. Proving of identity of fishermen at sea has been one of the key concerns. The option of making Aadhar as the identity document needs to be explored.
• Regulation of fishing has been key concern area. Fisheries often cite inadequate staff and infrastructure to regulate fishing activities. Use of modern data handling devices which can provide instant information on fishing boats, their whereabouts and other relevant information also need to be explored.
• Port and container terminal security can be enhanced by making use of high speed X-ray machine, CCTV surveillance, VTMS, biometrics; etc.
• Use of Nano-satellite for higher level security could be considered. Nano-satellites Tracking of ships (NTS) successfully in tracking of ships/ fishing crafts using space based AIS technology.
• Use of sonar for underwater surveillance off the important harbour needs to be considered as the terrorists are known to exploit any weak front.
• Creation of data bank of all types of vessels plying in Indian waters is the need of the hour. This will enable quick processing, better assimilation and quick retrieval of data which will optimise operational efficiency.
• Deployment of Unmanned platforms, aerial vehicles needed which will provide for quick launch and effective surveillance for prolonged periods.
• Modernisation and Augmentation needed. Steadily augmenting force levels for effective surveillance and optimum coverage. Multi mission maritime aircraft, Twin engine helicopters, State of art surface platforms with modern sensors.
• Combination of high endurance and high speed surface platforms – for sustained deployment and rapid response. Force Multipliers Interceptor boats – quick reaction assets, Hovercrafts – for shallow water operations.

Although the Indian security forces had responded swiftly to ‟26/11 Mumbai attack‟, but it exposed three significant cracks in India‟s maritime security calculus, the porous nature of India‟s coastline; the inadequate surveillance of the maritime domain; and the lack of inter- agency coordination. Post the 26/11 attacks, the Indian government specially, Indian Navy undertook a number of proactive measures to restructure coastal security and push the defensive perimeter further away from the coast into the seas. One of the most significant achievements has been the integration of all maritime stakeholders, including several State and Central agencies into into the new coastal security mechanism. Indian Navy has established four Joint Operations Centers (JOC); at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair. As a result, there is good coordination, synergy and understanding between all agencies. Navy, Coast Guard and State Police teams have visited coastal villages and fishermen have been made aware of possible threats from the sea and their important role towards strengthening coastal security. This has paid rich dividends in last few years as there have been many incidents, reported by them, leading to successful interceptions. In order to periodically review the readiness of the security agencies and the state administrations in thwarting threats from inimical elements, the Indian Navy has taken the lead in conducting coastal security exercises in every coastal states and in the Island territories in conjunction with the Coast Guard, Marine Police, Customs, and Immigration and Port Authorities etc. As a result of these exercises and drills, there has been a significant improvement in the coordination between all the agencies. The Indian Navy has now set up the National Command Control Communication Intelligence (NC3I) network that hosts the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC). The focus was on building national maritime domain awareness (NMDA) grid via a number of organizational, operational and technological changes. The network connects 51 radar stations (20 Indian Navy and 31 Coast Guard) located along the coast and on the island territories, and helps collate, fuse and disseminate critical intelligence and information about „unusual or suspicious movements and activities at sea‟.

The Indian government has also drawn plans to reinforce the NMDA via multilateral cooperation. It is in talks with at least 24 countries for exchanging information on shipping to ensure that the seas are safe and secure for global commerce. India has placed maritime security high on the agenda through active participation in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus. Additionally, it is in talks with other countries to institutionalize intelligence exchange among the respective security agencies. A nation with India‟s maritime assets, challenges and opportunities urgently needs a multi-disciplinary maritime advisory body to conceptualize a vision, draw up plans and monitor activities in the maritime domain. The first task of such a body should be to craft an overarching Maritime Security Policy and thereafter to undertake its integration with India‟s Maritime Strategy. Only such a synergy can ensure that we draw maximum advantage from the maritime sector – to benefit our economy and also to reinforce maritime security. It is a daunting task to balance economic, environmental, and security interests at the national level.

CONCLUSION

Review of coastal security apparatus in India is a continuous process. A three tier coastal security ring all along our coast is provided by Marine Police, Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy. Government has initiated several measures to strengthen Coastal Security, which include improving surveillance mechanism and enhanced patrolling by following an integrated approach. Joint operational exercises are conducted on regular basis among Navy, Coast Guard, Coastal Police, Customs and others for security of coastal areas including island territories. Intelligence mechanism has also been streamlined through creation of Joint Operation Centers and multi- agency coordination mechanism. Coast Guard Stations along the coastline are set up considering threat perception, vulnerability analysis and presence of other stations in the vicinity. Coastal surveillance is not just technology to defend valuable assets. Coastal challenge is prevention of access to hinterland to all anti nationals and nefarious elements.