Paradip: A joint team comprising of several personnel from Odisha and West Bengal carried out a joint coastal security exercise titled ‘Sagar Kavach’ at Paradip coast Thursday.
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The exercise is aimed at fine-tuning surveillance activities along respective maritime borders.
The team included Indian coast guard, coastal polices, coastal district administrations, Paradip Port Trust (PPT), state fishery departments, Customs department, marine enforcement wing (MEW), central industrial security force (CISF), intelligence bureau (IB), Light House department and local fishermen who are to participate in the two-day long exercise, sources informed.
The ‘Sagar Kavach’ security exercise is being conducted every year by different coastal states following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in order to curb terrorist infiltration into the country by sea.
“More than 13 agencies are collaborating to carry out this joint coastal exercise. 18 picketing points have been created for the purpose. ODRAF teams are out on sea patrolling along with the officers from other agencies,” Paradip maritime police station IIC Pradyumna Kumar Behera said.
Two separate groups of the coast guard named as ‘Blue Force’ and ‘Red Force’ have been launching special anti-terror and anti-infiltration operations within the territorial waters of the country.
Notably, Odisha has a 485km-long coastline from West Bengal in the north to Andhra Pradesh in the south.
PNN