Ahmedabad: To thwart any attempt of infiltration of terror elements through sea in Gujarat post the surgical strike of the Indian armed forced in PoK, the Indian Coastguards has intensified patrolling along the sea-line of the state with longest coastal area in the country of around 1600 km and also instructed the fishermen to remain cautious, go for group fishing and use their very high frequency (VHF) communication sets to immediately inform the coastguard about any suspicious activity in the sea or along the coast, Defence spokesperson Wing Commander Abhishek Matiman today said.

Mr Matiman said that the coast of Gujarat and the Maritime Zones off the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between India and Pakistan was an area of sensitivity. The Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (North West), at Gandhinagar has launched special operation in coordination with the stakeholders, including Marine Police and the State Administration.

 

Considering the incidents of recent past wherein the Indian forces conducted surgical strike on terrorist elements by attacking their training camps across in PoK area, the overall security for the shore establishments and fishermen have been duly enhanced, he said.

It is advised that the fishing community in particular and all the stakeholders at large must maintain enhanced vigil and report any abnormal activity either at sea or in areas close to the coast, to the Indian Coast Guard promptly. For safety purpose, use of Channel-16 (for communication through VHF sets) by fishermen is also duly emphasized, he said.

The sensitive sea areas have been duly sanitized and it is planned to sustain the enhanced surveillance till normalization of situation. The stakeholders have been requested to advise fishermen to undertake group fishing and avoid fishing close to IMBL/ No Fishing Zone. In addition, the presence of ICG units at sea and patrolling in sensitive areas by undertaking forward area deployment of assets, both ships and aircraft has been effected, the spokesperson said.

 

Meanwhile the state government has also instructed the over 20 marine police stations in the coastal areas to remain alert and coordinate with the other agencies including the coastguards. Special marine commandos have been deployed at many places including Porbandar, Dwarka, Gir Somnath and other coastal areas.

The security and vigil along the land border in Kutch and Banaskantha has also been heightened. The BSF and ICG are also patrolling the coastal areas in Kutch which were closest to Pakistan.

DeshGujarat