Kolkata, July 10 (IANS) Operational preparedness and ongoing infrastructure development came in for discussion at the District/Station Commanders’ and Works Conference at the Coast Guard Region (North East) headquarters in Kolkata on Thursday and Friday, officials said.

The conference was chaired by Iqbal Singh Chauhan, Inspector General and Commander of Coast Guard Region (North East).

It was attended by district/station commanders, senior officers from the headquarters, works officers and representatives from Military Engineer Services, Data Entry Operator offices as well as subordinate units.

“The conference comprehensively reviewed the operational, administrative and infrastructure related activities of the region. Detailed deliberations were held on operational preparedness, maritime and coastal security, surveillance, search and rescue, pollution response, inter agency coordination, training, logistics, personnel welfare and resource management,” an official said.

The regional headquarters is in charge of operations along the West Bengal and Odisha coast. It has stations at Haldia and Fraserganj in West Bengal and Paradip in Odisha.

The Coast Guard region also operates two air enclaves at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar where dorniers and helicopters are based for both surveillance and search and rescue operations.

Apart from the ports of Paradip, Dhamra, Haldia and Kolkata, there are numerous fishing harbours.

Thousands of fishermen from these two states are out in the sea every day and their movement has to be monitored, both for their safety and to prevent them from crossing over the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) inadvertently.

The Coast Guard also keeps a lookout for piracy, smuggling and poaching.

According to the official, the Works conference reviewed the progress of ongoing infrastructure and maintenance projects, budget utilisation, planning and execution of future works, and measures to ensure timely completion of projects with good quality and safety standards.

Emphasis was laid on achieving higher energy efficiency through green building measures.

The Commander Coast Guard Region (North East), in his address, underscored the need to maintain the highest standard of operational readiness and professionalism to effectively meet emerging maritime security challenges.

He stressed the importance of strengthening coordination among Coast Guard formations and with stakeholder agencies, promoting innovation and ensuring timely implementation of developmental initiatives to enhance operational capability.

“The conference also provided a forum for sharing best practices, reviewing lessons learnt from recent operations and exercises, identifying areas for improvement and finalising the road map for the forthcoming operational cycle,” the official said.

The conference concluded with a reaffirmation of the Indian Coast Guard commitment in safeguarding national maritime interests, ensuring maritime safety and, security, through sustained operational excellence, robust infrastructure and effective coordination with all maritime stakeholders.

–IANS

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