27 March,2011 07:31 AM IST | | IANS
A new coast guard station will be opened at Ratnagiri in Maharastra Saturday to add teeth to the coastal security apparatus in the state.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General Vice Admiral Anil Chopra will commission 'ICGS Ratnagiri', as the station will be called, in the presence of ICG Region (West) Commander Inspector General S.P.S. Basra, a defence ministry release said Friday.
Commandant B.H. Kumbhare has been appointed as the first commanding officer of the new ICG station.
"The new ICG station at Ratnagiri will play an effective role in undertaking joint coastal patrol along with state police, customs and fisheries department to thwart maritime security threats. One more station at Dahanu has been planned for establishment in Maharashtra in the current year," the release said.
"In addition, setting up of a coast guard air station at Ratnagiri is also on the anvil. This will be the first full-fledged air station of the coast guard in Maharashtra, and will play a crucial role in maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations adjoining the state's coast," it added.
In response to the enhanced role that has been assigned to the coast guard in the last two years, the service has pursued urgent enhancement of its surveillance capabilities.
Its present force-levels and manpower are slated to be doubled in a few years, with proportionate and corresponding infrastructure development and augmentation of trained manpower.
