Mumbai:  A Coastal Security Seminar was conducted by Headquarters, Maharashtra Naval Area, under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command at INS Angre, Mumbai. The seminar was attended by representatives of various organisations involved in the Coastal Security construct of Maharashtra that included personnel from Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, State Intelligence Department, Marine Police, Maharashtra Maritime Board, Dept of Atomic Energy, Dept of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust, Representatives from Coastal Police stations of coastal districts of Maharashtra, Port Officers of Minor group of ports of Maharashtra and ONGC.

The aim of the seminar was to facilitate a working level interaction of all stake holders in the Coastal Security set up of Maharashtra. The seminar provided all stakeholders a platform to sensitise each other with their perception, understanding and challenges of Coastal Security. Various presentations were made by the stake holders bringing out their Coastal Security orgainsational set up, their existing and envisaged capabilities, constraints / challenges faced during the conduct of Coastal Security operations, areas of cooperation with other stake holders and proposed way ahead towards fostering synergy and streamlining the Coastal Security operations off the coast of Maharashtra.

The seminar holds significance against the backdrop of the recently concluded review of the Coastal Security of India by Shri Rajnath Singh, the Hon’able Home Minister at Mumbai, in which Home Ministers of all Coastal States and Union territories participated. The Coastal Security set up in Maharashtra has undergone a major overhaul post 26/11, with the involvement of multitude of agencies, both civil and military, in the Coastal Security domain. This has necessitated synergy, joint manship and close cooperation amongst all the stake holders. Whilst significant strides have been made in this direction through regular conduct of meetings and Coastal Security exercises, this seminar has brought in greater understanding of the nuances of Coastal Security by the stake holders and enhanced their synergy. IN PIC A Coastal Security Seminar was conducted by Headquarters, Maharashtra Naval Area, under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command