Coastal areas, ports facing terror threat: Govt

NEW DELHI: Threat to coastal areas and vital installations, including ports, remains high in view of the security situation in and around India's immediate neighbourhood, LokSabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran said security agencies maintain a high level of vigilance so as to foil the designs of inimical elements.

"Threat to coastal areas and vital installations, including ports, continues to remain high in view of the prevailing security scenario in and around the immediate neighbourhood of the country," he said.

To further strengthen coastal security, coastal states and Union Territories have carried out a vulnerability or gap analysis in consultation with the coast guard to firm up their additional requirements for formulation of coastal security.

"The security of major ports in the country is the responsibility of the central government. Central Industrial Security Force is deployed at 12 major ports in the country, including Kandla in Gujarat.

"Central security agencies also carry out periodic security audits of these 12 major ports and based on the recommendations of these security audit reports, advisories are issued to the department or organisation concerned for strengthening the security arrangements," he said.