India has a coastline of 7,516.6 km, touching nine states and four union territories (UTS). There is more than 2.5 million square km of exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The mining areas allotted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is about 2,000 km from the southern-most tip of India. A significant portion of India’s mercantile trade, almost 90 per cent by volume and 77 per cent by value, is carried by the sea through India’s 12 major ports and about 198 minor ports.

The coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat are strategically located and prosperous which makes them prone to smuggling, poaching of seafood and anti-national activities. Explosives were smuggled through Raigad, on the Maharashtra coast, to carry out the serial blasts in Mumbai during 1993. The Government of India launched ‘Operation Swan’ during August 1993 to prevent clandestine landings along the Coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat by strengthening joint patrolling by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, the police and the customs. A sum of 342.56 crore (about $62 million) was allotted for improving the infrastructure. The scheme has since been transferred during March 2011 to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for further implementation and has been extended up to March 31, 2014.

There is also continuous movement of all types of vessels for trade, fishing, military, policing, sports, and so on. It is estimated that there are about 1,50,000 small fishing boats with no modern navigation means or communications. Thus management and security of India’s maritime zone including the coastline is by itself a formidable and complex task. Complacency in coastal security resulted in the terrorist attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, and again brought the crucial matter of coastal security into focus.

Post-Kargil

Kargil Operations were carried between May and July 1999. After the operations, a Group of Ministers was formed under the then Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani with the brief to make recommendations on “Reforming the National Security System”. Its recommendations on coastal security are current even now.

Coastal Security Scheme

Present Coastal Security System
There is a multi-tier arrangement for protection and maritime security of the country, involving the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and marine police of the coastal states and UTs. Close coastal patrolling is done by the State Marine Police whose jurisdiction extends up to 12 nautical miles, ICG functions between 12 and 200 nautical miles (about 12 km to 370 km), which is the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the Indian Navy extends beyond 200 nautical miles. At times this division can get blurred depending upon the operational requirement. Aerial surveillance is carried out by the Indian Navy and the ICG.

Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) Phase-I
Keeping in view the vulnerability of the coasts, CSS Phase-I was formulated to cover nine coastal states and four union territories. The scheme was approved in January 2005 for implementation in five years from the year 2005-06 and extended for one year till March 31, 2011, when it was completed.

Objectives of the Scheme
The objectives of the CSS Phase-I were to strengthen the infrastructure for patrolling and surveillance of coastal areas, particularly shallow areas close to the coast, to check and counter any illegal cross border activities and criminal activities using the coast or sea.

Main Features of the Scheme
The scheme provided assistance in the form of grant to all the coastal states and Union Territories as follows:

• Setting up coastal police stations, check-posts and outposts.
• To equip the coastal police stations with manpower trained in maritime activities.
• To procure vehicles and boats for mobility on the coast and close coastal waters.
• A lump sum assistance of 10 lakh per coastal police station for equipment, computer system, furniture, etc was given.
• To meet recurring expenditure for a period of six years on repairs and maintenance of patrol boats.
• States and UTs to provide the manpower.
• To make institutional arrangements at state and district level for coordination and sharing of information.
• The details of infrastructure under Phase I of the CSS are as follows:

  Coastal Police Stations	73
  Vessels	204
  Jeeps	153
  Motorcycles	312
  Checkpost	97
  Outpost	58
  Barracks	30
  Rubber Inflated Boats	10 (only for Goa)

The scheme was allotted 646 crore (about $0.117 million), which was divided into 495 crore for non-recurring expenditure and 151 crore for running expenditure for six years. Out of the 204 vessels/boats there are 120 of 12 tonne and 84 of five tonne. The scheme stands completed on March 31, 2011.

Coastal Security Initiatives Post-26/11
Comprehensive measures were announced by the Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, and duly approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security. The salient features were:

• The Indian Navy has been made responsible for overall maritime security, which includes both coastal and offshore security. The ICG, State Marine Police and other Central and state agencies are to assist Indian Navy.
• Four Joint Operation Centres (JOCs) are to be established at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair and placed under the jurisdiction of the respective Cs-in-C.
• The respective Naval Cs-in-C will hold additional responsibility as Cs-in-C, Coastal Defence.
• A national command, control, communication and intelligence (NC3IN) network would be established for real-time maritime domain awareness (MDA) linking the operations rooms of the Indian Navy and the ICG, both at the field and the apex levels.
• The Indian Navy will control all Navy and all ICG joint operations.
• Assets, such as ships, boats, helicopters, aircraft, etc as also the manpower of the ICG will be increased.
• A specialised force, called Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) comprising 1,000 personnel and tasked with protecting naval assets is to be created.
• Eighty fast interception crafts (FIC) will be procured for sea front patrolling by this force.
• A new CG Regional HQ will be set up in Gujarat, under the newly created post of COMCG (North-West), to look after surveillance off the coast of Gujarat, Daman and Diu.
• ‘Vessel and air traffic management systems’ will be installed by the Ministry of Petroleum, to cover all offshore development areas, as has already been done in the Western offshore region.
• The ICG has been additionally designated as the authority responsible for coastal security within the territorial waters, including areas to be patrolled by the coastal police.
• The DG lCG is designated as the Commander Coastal Command and made responsible for overall coordination between Central and state agencies in all matters relating to coastal security.
• The setting up of nine additional Coast Guard stations to integrate with coastal police stations.
• The proposal for setting up of static coastal radar chain and a comprehensive network chain of automatic identification system (AIS) stations along the entire coast as well as island territories has been approved.