Baalu reviews port security with officials

Chennai, July 31 (UNI) Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu today reviewed security arrangements at ports and surrounding areas in the country with heads and security officers of all the ports in the country, those in-charge of coastal security and others.

Though the meeting was described as 'routine,' it assumes immense significance in the light of the recent serial bomb blasts at Mumbai which claimed more than 200 lives and the subsequent red alert sounded by Central intelligence agencies to boost security measures all over the country, especially at important installations, ports, nuclear power stations and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) units among others, official sources told UNI.

They said Union Shipping Joint Secretary Bhallah, Union Home Joint Secretary Harminder Singh Raj, Kerala IG Loknath Behera, Orrisa ADGP Praha Raj, Union Cabinet Secretary (Security) N C Padhi, Gujarat DGP P C Pande, Goa DIG N S Ranthawa, West Bengal ADGP (IB) S K Sarkar, Lakshadweep SP David Lalrin, Karnataka Coastal Security IG G M Hayat, Tamil Nadu DGP D Mukherjee, Tamil Nadu Home Secretary Pawan Kumar Raina and few of his counterparts in other states and Tamil Nadu Intelligence IG Gandhi Rajan were among those who attended the meeting.

Mr Baalu advised them to take enhance vigil and beef up security arrangements in and around the ports as well as the coastal belt, they added.

The media was, however, not invited. However, some journalists who got a whiff of the meeting hastened to the venue only to be denied entry.

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