India beefs up coastal security after 26/11 attack

Mumbai, Dec 14: India has stepped up its coastal security with the induction of more patrol boats following the recent Mumbai terror attack.

"Thirty-one boats have been commissioned, which includes three big size and 28 small size boats. We are getting a total of 109 boats, out of which 31 have been commissioned and rest would come later," said P C Jha, the Chairman of the Central Board of Excise.

Jha said the step would boost security on India's eastern and western coasts.

"It would enhance our capacity of security. We will be patrolling India's eastern and western coast," he said.

Earlier, the Central Government was widely criticised for not doing enough to prevent the attacks because there were vast gaps in the intelligence and security apparatus.

Home Minister P Chidambaram has admitted that the coast guard and the navy had the intelligence that a vessel carrying militants could enter Indian waters.

The boat, however, couldn't be intercepted and allowed ten heavily armed gunmen to attack key Mumbai landmarks, a strike India has blamed on Pakistan.

ANI