CHENNAI: As part of India's grand plan to beef-up surveillance and intelligence gathering in the Indian Ocean, the Coast Guard is proposing to install Coastal Surveillance Radar (CSR) Station at Keating Point in Car Nicobar.
A small patch of tribal reserve area has been identified and would be diverted for the project. The proposal was discussed at 36th meeting of Regional Empowered Committee at Union Environment Ministry's Regional Office (South Eastern Zone) in Chennai on June 18.
Car Nicobar is strategically located in the heart of the Andaman and Nicobar islands archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Only recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a coastal surveillance radar system built by India in the Maldives.
The proposed station in Car Nicobar has been approved by District Forest Officer (DFO) of Nicobar forest division and the Andaman and Nicobar administration. As per the official documents, available with the Express, the radar station would cost Rs 9 crore and the legal status of the land to be diverted, as per Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Port Blair, is a tribal reserve area.
However, the central government has already given its approval under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Defence officials said India is building a network of such radar stations in the Indian Ocean region. The coastal surveillance radar is the primary sensor for Integrated Coastal Surveillance System (ICSS).
It is capable of detecting sub 20 meter boats such as county boats, dinghies and fishing vessels in heavy sea clutter environment in all weather conditions. The radar is capable of operating 24x7.