Sagar Kavach op keeps all agencies on the same page

MUMBAI : The Sagar Kavach operation, started to boost coastal security in the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks, has improved the coordination between various agencies and police, said officials.

As part of the operation, the state police, along with the Indian Navy, Coast guards and other intelligence agencies, check the preparedness to defend the seas twice a year.

According to senior officials of the state police, the initiative has facilitated communication and exchange of information. “There is also an acknowledgment that every agency plays a key role in making the coast secure and no information can be taken lightly,” said an official.

Along with 1093 helpline, the police, especially in coastal districts, have roped in locals, so any suspicious information can be quickly passed on. They have also created Whats A pp groups to make sending alerts easy. “Any suspicious activity doesn’t go unchecked, as alerts come in early,” said an official, adding, “In 2008 too, the landing of terrorists was reported, but no one took it seriously.”

Every alert is cross-checked. A case in point could be the 2016 incidents, when there were alerts on “armed suspicious men landing in Uran, Navi Mumbai, and suspicious fishermen looking for the sea route to Mumbai”. “Although these and other alerts turned out to be false, checking is necessary. Firstly, it keeps the police and other agencies on their toes. Secondly, if the alert is serious, it helps in immediate action and assessment,” said the official. “Police also give alerts from ground to the coast guard and Navy,as most suspicious sea operations are planned on land and executed in the sea.”

Deven Bharti, joint commissioner of police (law and order), said, “We have created a mechanism to share intelligence regularly with other agencies. It is working perfectly.”

THE MOVE HAS LED TO COMMUNICATION AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, SAID SENIOR OFFICIALS