ID cards to be issued to coastal villagers: Chidambaram

KOLLAM: As part of its plan to step up coastal vigil, Centre will issue multi-purpose Identity cards to people residing in coastal areas of nine states and four Union Territories, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday.

The process for issuing the identity cards would be completed on a war-footing in 2009, while the census in the rest of the country would be taken up in 2011 as scheduled, Chidambaram said after inaugurating Kerala's first Coastal police station at Neendakara near here.

Since the co-operation of local people, especially fishermen, was essential in tackling terrorist threat from the sea, coastal vigilance committees would be formed in all the coastal villages of the country, he said.