New Delhi: India will set up a regional headquarters of its Coast Guard for the northeastern states having coastal areas along the Bay of Bengal by March 2012, a parliamentary panel has been informed by the defense ministry.
The new regional headquarters will help protect the environment and safety of life and property in the exclusive economic zone of India extending up to 200 nautical miles from coastal states in the Northeastern region, according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on the Coast Guard Organization tabled in parliament Thursday.
The panel had drawn the attention of the defense ministry to the fact that Coast Guard has no regional headquarters in the northeastern coastal border region, and the ministry acknowledged the need and stated that the case for a regional headquarters had been approved by the government on Aug 30, 2010.
“It is planned to set up the headquarters by March 2012,” the panel’s report said.
The ministry also pointed out to the panel that maritime states of Odisha and West Bengal are located adjacent to Bangladesh and of late there has been a large number of refugee influx and anti-national activities in this area.
Paradip will suit the purpose.