By IANS,
New Delhi : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Tuesday underlined the need to plug gaps in the coastal security of the country “within a definite time frame”, an official said.
Antony chaired a meeting of high-level officers and armed forces, a day after terrorists attacked a Pakistan police academy, which is barely 12 km away from the Wagah border in India.
The defence minister called for speedy implementation of the maritime security plan approved by the government recently, a defence official said.
“The minister said utmost vigilance must be maintained all along the coastline so that the ‘Mumbai-like’ incidents do not recur,” the official said.
Antony called for regular monitoring of all aspects so that there are no delays in implementation of the maritime security plan.
Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekar, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Director General of Coast Guard Vice Admiral Anil Chopra and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh attended the meeting.
“The meeting reviewed the progress made in coastal security and coordinated arrangements for the security of offshore platforms of oil companies, vessel identification system, identity cards for fishermen, installation of coastal radars, joint control room for navy and coast guard, intelligence sharing among all agencies and procurement of boats and aircraft,” the official added.