Effectiveness of India’s maritime preparedness examined in two-day mega train

By PTI

NEW DELHI: India’s preparedness to cope with all attainable challenges within the maritime area, together with contingencies from peace to war-time, was examined in a two-day multi-agency navy train that lined the 7,516 km-long shoreline and unique financial zone, officers mentioned on Thursday.

The second version of train ‘Sea Vigil’, which concluded on Wednesday night, notably centered on the efficacy of the measures initiated to plug gaps within the coastal safety arrange following the Mumbai terror assault in 2008, they mentioned.

The Indian Navy mentioned the “envisaged objectives” of the train have been met by the whole-hearted participation of all stakeholders.

The train concerned deployment of your entire coastal safety equipment and greater than 110 floor belongings of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard participated within the train that was billed as India’s largest coastal defence drill, the officers mentioned.

“The conceptual and geographical expanse of Sea Vigil included the entire coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country and contingencies from peace to war-time were exercised. In addition, mitigation measures, on shore, in case of any breach in coastal security were also validated,” the Navy mentioned in an announcement.

The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard have taken a collection of measures to bolster India’s coastal safety after the Mumbai terror assault by which over 166 folks, together with 28 foreigners from 10 nations, have been killed by a gaggle of Pakistani terrorists.

The group of 10 Pakistani terrorists carried out the coordinated assault on a railway station, two luxurious lodges and a Jewish centre on November 26, 2008, after they sneaked into India’s monetary capital utilizing a route within the Arabian Sea.

The inaugural version of the Sea Vigil train happened in January 2019.

In addition to belongings of the Indian Navy, a lot of platforms of the Marine Police and the Customs Department have been additionally deployed in the course of the second version of the mega drill.

“The entire coastline was kept under surveillance by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard aircraft, and helicopters were also pressed into service to reinforce special operations personnel operating onboard offshore platforms,” the Navy mentioned.

It mentioned the safety mechanism of ports was validated and their disaster administration plans have been assessed to sort out emergencies.

State police groups, Indian Navy Marine Commandos and Commandos from the National Security Guard carried out drills to sort out attainable acts of “maritime terrorism”, the Navy mentioned.

“This exercise also validated the technical surveillance infrastructure called the National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network. The Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram and its various nodes across Indian Navy and Coast Guard stations were exercised for coordinating the surveillance and information dissemination mechanism,” the Navy mentioned.

It mentioned the cooperation and coordination amongst numerous businesses concerned within the maritime area is a “reassuring sign” of progress made within the realm of coastal defence.

“The exercise would go a long way in enhancing coastal defence and national security in the maritime domain,” the Navy mentioned.

The Sea Vigil train happened at a time when India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff in jap Ladakh.

In sync with the nationwide safety doctrine, the Indian Navy considerably elevated its deployment of warships, submarines and different belongings within the Indian Ocean Region, in an try to ship throughout a message to China that Indian armed forces are totally ready to cope with any problem.