Coast Guard all geared-up to meet Pakistani challenge: Commander

Porbandar, Feb 27 (UNI) The Coast Guard is gearing up its patrolling operations along the Indo-Pak maritime border to counter challenges of infiltration and arms transfer.

The maritime force is keen to upgrade its fleet and install better radars for more effective monitoring, said Gujarat Coast Guard Commander G P Raj.

He said ''We have asked for twin-engine helicopters and more sensitive radars to curb the infiltration menace. At present, we have single-engine Chetak choppers. Sometimes, we have to fly 150 nautical miles into the sea and therefore, twin-engine choppers would be more effective.'' ''We are vigilant to any movement on the border and can detect if there was even a pin drop on the border,'' he told newspersons on the sidelines of ''A Day at Sea'' programme that was held along the Porbandar coast yesterday.

Mr Raj said though there are no visible hostilities, there was definite information that Intelligence operatives from across the boder have been giving navigational training to civilians, most probably fishermen. ''They come up to the International Maritime Border and just read the coast map and return. In case of hostilities, these people will be of great help.'' He said as the Pakistanis have seized about 300 boats from Indian fishermen, they sometimes use them for infiltration purpose.

''It is at times difficult to identify when they use our boats as they resemble Kutchis too,'' he said and added that the Coast Guard have seized just seven Pakistani boats.

The Pakistani authorities have been able to make more seizures of boats and arrested Indian fishermen as there are more number of Indians in the fishing vocation than their countrymen. ''There are very few Pakistani fishermen, while our fishermen are many times more in numbers. Indian fishermen also venture more into the other side of the maritime border in search of Red Solomon fish (locally known as lal pari), which is available in greater numbers in the inter-tidal zone -- at the point where Indus meets the sea. There is greater demand for this breed here than in Pakistan.'' On the movement of arms and explosives through the sea route, the Commander said the Joint Coastal Patrolling, along with the state Police and Custom officials, introduced recently, has already shown positive results and no landings of arms, ammunition, explosives or contrabands have been reported since.

UNI