Centre-State coop must to tackle terrorism: Antony

Kochi, Mar 18: Maritime terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy are the three major threats emanating from the sea and there is a need for stepped-up Centre-State cooperation to meet these challenges, Defence Minister A K Antony said today.

Delivering the keynote address at a one-day seminar on 'Kerala-Emerging Maritime Issues and Challenges', organised by the Southern Naval Command here, Mr Antony said with the sealing of the land borders, terrorists were now more likely than ever to use the sea route to infiltrate.

Stressing the need for eternal vigilance, he said the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard must work in close coordination to meet the threats arising from the sea.

While state governments had a special duty to prevent illegal activities in the coastal areas, the Centre was helping the states to establish coastal police stations and strengthening the physical and human infrastructure including underwater cables, communication network and increased patrolling.

The Minister also stressed the need for the Centre and states to ensure that development activities such as port-based special economic zones (SEZs) did not result in land speculation.

''More importantly, it should not lead to the exclusion of those segments of industry and peasantry that lie outside such SEZs and from the economic dividend that might accrue from the creation of such clusters,'' he added.

India, being an agriculture-dominated economy, there was a need to forge a 'public peasant partnership'. The solution to Kerala's maritime challenges must have a positive impact on employment generation and the interests of the fishing community must be protected.

Talking particularly about the ''pitiable'' condition of the legendary ship builders of Beypore in north Kerala, Mr Antony said they had been reduced to making toys of the famous Beypore 'uru' (ship).

Calling for a rekindling of the Beypore spirit, Mr Antony said a collective effort was needed to redeem the skills of the traditional boat builders and integrate them into the modernisation plans. He exhorted Kerala to take the lead in establishing modern ship-building centres. While private sector participation was welcome, this should not be over-induldged, he added.

Earlier, inaugurating the seminar, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthandandan said the present maritime policy of the state had targeted to promote Kerala to the top three maritime states in the country in terms of cargo handling in the next decade.

Although the state had 17 ports which had excellent growth prospects, the government was starting with the development of five ports at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district, Thankassery in Kollam, Azheekal and Beypore in Kozhikode district and Alappuzha.

As huge funding was needed for the task, the state was inviting investment for the promotion and development of these ports, he said.

The Chief Minister also noted that the Central Government had picked up Azheekal as one of the nine ports in the country to receive central assistance.

In his welcome address, Southern Nawal Command's, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral J S Bedi said the setting up of the Naval Academy at Ezhimala and the setting up of a Chair for Naval Studies at Calicut University were among the recent measures to strengthen the Navy's special relationship with Kerala.

Stating that peninsular India had witnessed many historical events, he said some of these had changed the strategic history of the country. Referring to the landing of Vasco de Gama in the court of the Zamorin in Kerala and the gradual conquest of India by the Portuguese and other colonial powers, VAdm Bedi said the country needed to inculcate a maritime vision which was guided by both history and geography.

The four sessions at the seminar would focus on an 'Overview of Kerala's Maritime Heritage', 'Shipbuilding along the Malabar Coast', 'Kerala's Role in Maritime India' and 'Geo-Strategic Importance of Kerala'.

Among the speakers would be former Chief of the Naval Staff Adm.

Arun Prakash, former Director General of the Indian Coast Guard P Paleri, former CMD of Cochin Shipyard Cmde M K Murthy and eminent historian Ranjan Gurukkal.

UNI