Rs 350 crore coastal radar network to be set up by year end

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) For plugging gaps in coastalsurveillance capabilities, the Indian Coast Guard will set upa network of radars atop light houses under a Rs 350 croreproject by the end of this year.

"These surveillance radars would be put atoplight-houses, out of which some of them have been identifiedand some are yet top be identified," ICG Director General ViceAdmiral Anil Chopra said here.

After the network of 46 such stations is established,the ICG would be able to keep an eye on movement of evenswimmers within 20 miles of the coastal areas, he said.

With the help of these radars, operators sitting incontrol rooms in Delhi and Mumbai would also be able tomonitor activities in the coastal areas.

The ICG chief said some of the light-houses are veryold and the force had to take help of the Indian Institutes ofTechnology (IITs) to find out if the heavy radars could be puton them or not.

"In many cases, we found that they could not and we hadto build new structures. We are procuring sensors and alsobuilding these structures," he added.

Chopra said during the trials of the sensors andcameras for the system, which would be provided by the BharatElectronics Limited (BEL), some of the equipment was rejectedby the force.

"If that has caused delays, then it is good. Now we havereached a stage that equipment selection process is over andit has been ordered. The Defence Minister has set the targetdate for the project by the end of this year," the ICG chiefsaid.