New Coast Guard station to be opened at Karwar Wednesday

New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Coast Guard will commission a new station at Karwar in Karnataka Wednesday to beef up maritime security along the country's western coast, a defence ministry official said Tuesday.

Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Anil Chopra will commission the station Wednesday.

"The station is being established based on the security assessment undertaken by the government for strengthening maritime and coastal security. Besides, 14 more stations will be established across the country to address the security gap along the coastline," said a senior defence ministry official.

The station at Karwar will have two fast speed boats to undertake "search and rescue, close coast patrol and to respond to emergency calls", he said.

The Mumbai terror attack Nov 26 last year brought forth the lacunae in the Indian coastal security.

"In response to the enhanced responsibilities, the Coast Guard is pursuing urgent enhancement of its surveillance capabilities so as to meet its tasks and responsibilities effectively. The present force-levels and manpower are projected to be doubled in a few years," the official added.

--IANS