By Sumit Kumar Singh New Delhi, Nov 27, : , It has been 13 years since the worst terror attacks in India hit Mumbai.175 people were killed, nine attackers were involved and over 300 others were injured.
According to investigations, the attackers hijacked a fishing trawler called ‘Kuber’ from India, took Karachi’s sea route across the Arabian Sea, killed four crew members, and forced the captain to sail to Mumbai.
The management of maritime and coastal security has seen a paradigm shift.
Following the approval of the government for the raising of Sagar Praharibal (SPB), and the induction of fast interceptor craft (FIC), for force protection duties, 1,000 personnel have been inducted into India’s Navy and 80 FICs have been added to it since then.
FICs are located in different coastal states and Union Territories.
ONGC also purchased 23 Immediate Support Vessels, (ISVs), in 2014 to patrol the offshore development area.These vessels are being manned naval personnel.
A senior government official stated that the Indian Navy was also involved in providing expert advice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on the procurement and maintenance of boats for the state Marine Police/ Border Security Force, and other agencies as needed.
Indian Navy is also a member of the MHA-constituted committee to define the contours for Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) Phase III.
The CSS is a program that MHA oversees to strengthen coastal policing.It provides financial assistance to states and Union Territories in the areas of infrastructure development and procurement of vehicles and boats.
The CSS first phase was launched in 2005 and the second in 2011.Each phase was to be implemented over a period of five years.
Phase II implementation completed March 2020.The MHA is simultaneously determining the scope and cost of CSS Phase III.
Strengthening the State Marine Police and Fisheries Enforcement
Many states have taken steps to strengthen the Marine Police, and enforce fisheries laws.
The Tamil Nadu government established a specialized wing of Tamil Nadu Police, the Marine Enforcement Wing (MEW), in early 2020 to enforce the 1983 TN Fishing Regulation Act.
A committee was also formed in Nagapattinam to enforce the Fishing Regulation Act.
Karnataka is also looking at establishing an independent fisheries enforcement unit.In Kerala, a Marine Enforcement Wing has been established since 1984.
In Odisha, the state police headquarters issued a new policy regarding the posting and transfer of personnel to the state Marine Police.
It stipulates a minimum length of service.
Ex-servicemen in the Marine Police are also available in some states, such as West Bengal and Karnataka.
These are all important steps to increase India’s maritime enforcement capabilities, especially from a human resources perspective.
Progressively, the state Marine Police has been integrated into the response mechanisms to handle exigencies such as natural calamities and search and rescue (SAR), and also during the ongoing Covid epidemic, when the seaward component of the lockdown was enforced in coastal states.
They have the potential to contribute to greater maritime security through their enhanced capabilities and capacity.
New Initiatives by the Government
Developmentally, the importance of India’s coastline in world trade has been repeatedly emphasized.
It has been stated that the government will focus on the development of a four-lane highway along the entire coast to follow up to the port-led Sagarmala development project.
The government’s focus upon island development was evident in the inauguration of the submarine optical cable connecting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the plan to link the Lakshadweep Islands.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the government’s plans to expand the National Cadet Corps, (NCC), in the border and coastal regions.
These statements highlight the importance of developing coast borders and islands and the importance security as a facilitator of trade and development.
SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) has also emphasized the inextricability between security and growth.
Prime Minister Modi digitally launched Pradhan Mantri Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) on September 10, 2020.
The PMMSY, which has a projected investment in excess of Rs 20,050 crore over five years, is part of the “Aatmanirbhar” (self-reliant).
While the PMMSY is essentially a scheme to “bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India”, its aims and objectives also include physical security and robust fisheries management/regulatory framework.
The project also aims at establishing links and convergence with other schemes.This includes safety-and security-related projects within the fisheries industry, such as the MHA for fisheries surveillance, control and surveillance (MCS) activities and the Department of Space, for satellite-based communication, tracking devices, such as transponders, for the sector.
The scheme also includes the upgrading of fishing harbours, landing centres, development ‘integrated modern coast fishing villages’, and the setting up of fisheries extension services through 3,447 Sagar Mitras.
Coastal Security Studies
The Rashtriya Raksha Universities (RRU) Act, 2020 was enacted to promote maritime and coastal security studies.
The Gandhinagar-based varsity focuses on policing and security, as well as law enforcement.
The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research University of Hyderabad and the Centre for Human Security Studies, a Hyderabad-based think tank on internal and exterior affairs, also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June 2020 to collaborate in academics and research, including in coastal and maritime security laws.
Lastly, maritime security governance has been steadily strengthened by a whole-of government approach over the past decade.
As far as coastal security is concerned infrastructure is being developed more rapidly and interagency coordination has only increased in recent years.
Despite all this, there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
Two of the most important reforms in maritime security governance are in progress, namely the establishment of a single-point apex board for maritime affairs and the NMDA Project.
CCS has approved the proposal to create a National Maritime Security Coordinator, but the NMDA project has yet to be implemented.
It is impossible to physically guard the entire coastline.
It is difficult to identify a target boat among the many Indian fishing boats and dense shipping traffic.Unregulated fishing makes it even more difficult to identify friend or foe.
In the absence of appropriate identification cards, it is also difficult to identify the personnel who are on the boats.This problem is not limited to small boats.
It also affects thousands of cargo vessels and containers that call at Indian ports.Technology is the key to this problem.
Integration of maritime stakeholders remains a major concern.
It is essential that all agencies share information in order to coordinate action against the common threat.
Modern technology can facilitate regular communication and the flow of information among the stakeholders.
India is increasingly looking outward.
It is important to remember that the foundational elements of India’s regional vision, the SAGAR or the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiatives (IPOI), are found in the maritime security governance structures in India.
Hence, India’s regional vision can be facilitated and enabled by strengthening maritime and coastal security governance.
Multiple agencies continue to make efforts to strengthen maritime security at all levels of governance.However, many issues will remain a work in progress.
Sumit Kumar Singh can reached at sumit.k@ians
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