A year ago in the backdrop of the trauma of 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, the Indian government announced a slew of steps to strengthen maritime security including coastal security to meet the challenge of terrorism mounted by ‘non state actors’ supported and encouraged by ‘state actors’. To understand the nature of the challenge it is important to highlight the concept of maritime security and identify the stake holders.

The issue of maritime security that includes port and coastal security is jointly addressed by a number of ministries, departments and agencies viz., ministry of defence (MoD), ministry of surface, road transport (MoSRT), ministry of home affairs (MHA), port authorities, state security agencies, marine police, Customs, Coast Guard and Indian Navy, etc. Surveillance of the 12 nautical miles off the coastline is responsibility of the state marine police, the Coast Guard is responsible from 12 to 200 miles and the Indian Navy beyond that. The tasking of multiple agencies with coastal security brings with it the attendant challenges of coordination, single-point responsibility and accountability.

It is to address the above challenges speaking in Parliament; the home minister P. Chidambaram announced the setting up of a Coastal Command (CC) for the overall supervision and coordination of maritime and coastal security. It envisaged division of Indian coastline along the western and eastern sea board, including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands into Maritime Defence Zones (MDZ). The operational responsibility of which was to devolve upon three agencies namely the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the marine police of coastal states. The aim was that the new Coastal Command would introduce the much-needed inter-organisational synergy.