Paradip: A two-day long coastal security exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ was held along the 480-km long Odisha coast on Wednesday and Thursday. The state of Odisha has a major port, several private ports, industries as well as a number of high-security defence establishments, along its coast.
“During the exercise, the coastal security Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the state were validated through a series of drills conducted along the coast. The exercise was coordinated by the Commander, Indian Coast Guard Region North East. The State Coastal Security Operation Centre (SCSOC) at Headquarters Coast Guard District No 7, Paradip was the nerve centre for the exercise,” an official said.
Several simulated situations, such as hijacking of fishing boats for landing of terrorists, smuggling of contraband, hijacking of barges, planting of IEDs and attacks on vital assets and points along the coast of Odisha were created. Personnel of security agencies were divided into two teams. While the Red Team attempted to carry out strikes, Blue Team members were assigned to foil these.
Active sea and river patrolling by Indian Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Police, State Police, Ports, CISF, Fisheries, SIB and Customs boats, coastal patrolling by district police and patrolling by forest department was also undertaken. The fishermen watch groups at various places were also activated as ‘Eyes and Ears’ of the security forces. Special operations conducted during the exercise included operations by the CISF and Quick Response Teams of the Coast Guard and police. There was continuous drone surveillance during the exercise.
“Nearly 3.6 lakh fishermen operate over 19,000 fishing boats in Odisha. Apart from the major port at Paradip, there are private ones at Dhamra and Gopalpur and jetties, as well as coastal industries. Being a maritime state with riverine geography, the entire coastline is porous and poses a major challenge for security agencies. Thus, coordination is vital amongst all stakeholders for seaward security of the state,” the official added.
The best management practices learnt during the exercise will be deliberated at a higher level for further improvements in the coastal security mechanism. A decision to upgrade the SOPs and further strengthen coordination between security agencies will then be taken.