Govt has no plans to set up jetty at Vallarpadam

New Delhi, Aug 3 (UNI) The Government has no plan to set up a jetty at Vallarpadam with the help of the Indian Navy and the Cochin Port Trust, said Defence Minister Pranab Mukerjee.

Informing members in the Lok Sabha in a written reply, Mr Mukerjee said the Government had taken steps to improve the infrastructure of the Coast Guards in the country.

He said in the Coast Guard Development plan 2002-07, Rs 199.05 crore have been allocated for the development of infrastructure.

To a query on the creation of a special force of the ex-servicemen trained in the art of handling explosives to tackle the menance of Naxalites, Mr Mukerjee said there was no such plan.

He, however, said Naxalism being an internal security problem was being tackled by the State Government and the Union Home Ministry through deployment of States Police and Central paramilitary forces.

The Army was extending assistance to the affected states in capacity building by way of providing training to paramilitary forces and State Police personnel in handling anti-Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and by setting up training institutions and re-employment of ex-Army personnel in such institutes.

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