Giving a boost to the coastal security initiatives surrounding Lakshadweep, the island chain will soon have six radar stations coming up at various parts. To be established as part of the static sensors project of the Defence Ministry, the project aims at preventing undetected intrusion of vessels along the coastal line.
In the Lakshadweep islands, the radar stations will be coming up at Kiltan, Androth, Agatti, Kalpeni, Minicoy and Suhielipar. Launching the remote-operating centre in Kochi the other day, Coast Guard Director-General Vice-Admiral M P Muralidharan said that the radar stations on the islands will be completed by March 2013. The radars will help monitor the movement of vessels, the Vice-Admiral said.
“The movement of vessels can be tracked, however small it may be. A vessel can be identified. The control room can also speak to the ship. The data collected will be shared with other maritime agencies and networks to generate a comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA),” he said. The radar stations will further help in enhancing the efficiency of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations by the Coast Guard.
The project envisages the fitment of high-end surveillance gadgets like frequency diversity radar, electro optic sensors (CCD day camera, LLTV and thermal imagers), VHF sets and MET equipment on lighthouses and masts erected at 36 locations in the mainland in addition to six locations in Lakshadweep islands and four in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A total of 46 remote radar stations are envisaged in the first phase. A first of its kind project, it is being implemented by the Coast Guard through Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The project, to be implemented at a cost of `601.75 crore, has an implementation schedule of 12 months and 18 months for the mainland and the inland sites, respectively.