Chennai: Patrolling beefed up in high seas, IMBL

Chennai, Mar 28: Patrolling in the high seas and on the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) have been intensified in the wake off LTTE's attack on Sri Lankan Air base.

Apart from shallow water patrolling on interceptor crafts, speedboats and mechanised trawlers, two ships belonging to the Navy and the Coast Guard were deployed for patrolling in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay.

Both the Coast guard and Navy had been monitoring the situation in the wake of the LTTE strikes.

''The frequency of the patrolling had been increased in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay and at all strategic locations,'' Coast Guard IG Rajendra Singh told UNI here today.

He said coast guard and Naval Ships had been stationed in the area to maintain extra alert.

As part of heightened security, air surveillance had also been stepped up and surveillance aircraft of the Navy and Coast Guard conducted several sorties over Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay.

Coast Guard and the Navy would undertake sorties on alternate days, he said.

''The CG aircraft will go from Chennai to undertake sorties from the Gulf of Mannar to Palk Bay area. Normally we will do one or two sorties. One sortie for four to five hours is enough for one day'', Mr Singh said and added that the Naval aircraft from Naval Air Base station at Uchipuli, near Rameswaram would conduct sorties.

Meanwhile, in a significant move, the Indian Navy, which had adopted the round-the-clock duty after Monday's attack on Lankan Air base, re-established the Forward Observation Point (FOP) at the Sangam point (the confluence point) at Arichamunai, one of the closest points to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and a regular landing place for Lankan Tamil refugees to come to Tamil Nadu.

Official sources said 12 marine commandos, equipped with night vision binoculars, had been deputed at the FOP, which started functioning from Monday.

Interceptor crafts and speedboats had been sent to the point and Navy personnel were equipped with weapons like medium machine guns (MMG).

Meanwhile, Police sources told UNI more than 40 new check posts had been erected in the coastal districts to prevent infiltration of anti-social elements. Besides, the Coastal Security Group, which had beefed up the security in coastal areas, the Superintendents of Police of all coastal districts were advised to set up check posts.

''Special teams have been formed to tackle the problem in coastal belt'', the sources added.

UNI