Govt working on plan to prevent aerial attacks

NEW DELHI: After a severe beating of security arrangements at the hands of terrorists coming through the sea route to commit 26/11, the government is now trying to piece together a plan to declare airspace over strategic installations no-fly zones to prevent 9/11-type attacks.

As the terrorists came on speed boats to launch the deadliest attack on Mumbai nearly two weeks ago, the Navy and the Coast Guard may patrol the mouth of Gulf of Cambay more frequently to protect oil and gas wells and other such installations in the western offshore, besides ships carrying crude oil and LNG into the country.

The need is being felt for securing the airspace as well. Oil Minister Murli Deora has met Home Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister A K Antony to "flag possible threats to oil and gas installations," official sources said.

Ninteen public and private sector oil refineries and installations such crude import hubs at Kandla in Gujarat and liquefied natural gas receiving facilities at Dahej and Hazira, in the same state, may be covered by the no-fly zone.

The Indian Air Force would be responsible for reinforcing the 'no-fly-zones', they said pointing a suicide mission like the 9/11 strike in US or even a remote-control operated unmanned plane could create havoc at oil installations.

Navy and Coast Guard may be pressed for increasing patrol in western offshore, home to India's largest oil and gas producing fields of Mumbai High and Bassein, to guard against terrorists strikes on facilities like oil wells - most of which are unmanned.

While the Navy, Coast Guard and the security apparatus of the oil companies would guard the entire perimeter of the installations, sources said a "quick-response" team may be constituted to respond to any emergency.