Two-day exercise held for safeguarding coasts

KOCHI: A two-day exercise for defending the coasts of Kerala, Lakshadweep, Minicoy Islands and Mahe from infiltrators was held here in which all agencies such as the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, Coastal Police participated.

During the coastal security exercise named as 'Theera Veta', participating units were formed into two groups with one group simulating as an attack force and the other group defending the coasts.

The exercise was conducted from April 28 to April 29, a Navy official said here today.

He said the exercise also had active participation of state and U/T administration, state/UT police, fisheries department including Marine Enforcement Wing Intelligence Bureau, Customs, Cochin Port Trust, Director General Light House and Light Ships and Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation of Lakshadweep Islands besides fishermen association and fishing communities of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Mahe.

The exercise was conducted by the Coast Guard from its Ops room at Kochi and Kavaratti and monitored from the Joint Operation Centre (JOC), at Naval base, Kochi.

Maximum coastal security assets consisting of the Naval and Coast Guard ships, interceptor crafts, helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, boats of Coastal Police, Customs, CISF and MEW were deployed for carrying out comprehensive surveillance of coastal waters to prevent all infiltrations.

The JOC, Kochi and Coast Guard operations rooms were also manned by representatives of all coastal security stakeholders during the exercise.

The Navy said this exercise is held periodically to test the security apparatus along the coast and to revalidate the standard operating procedures, with a focus on protecting the vital installations located coast to coast.