After 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 10 operations rooms to guard the coastline

Having learnt its lessons from the 26/11 attacks, the state plans to get 10 marine operations rooms to keep an eye on the 114-kilometre stretch of Mumbai’s coastline.

The loopholes in the security came to light in 2008 after 10 LeT terrorists came from Pakistan to Mumbai in a boat, using the porous coastline. The operations room will act as a control centre and provide a platform for quick response teams and will be equipped with watch towers, CCTV monitoring facilities, thermal imaging facility, satellite phones and night vision facilities. The project is part of the phase-3 of the Coastal Security plan envisaged after the attacks.

In the first stage, on a pilot basis, three such operations rooms will come up at Sassoon Docks in south Mumbai, Marve in Malad and near Bandra-Worli sea link, said sources. They will be set up 10km away from each other in a way that they will connect the 73 CCTV-equipped landing points across the city.

“We have initiated the process to start the centres. They will be functional soon. We plan to make it a state-of-the-art platform for quick response across the coast,” said a senior IPS officer, requesting anonymity.

A tender would be floated soon for the construction of the centre, which would also have weapons and other high-tech gadgets required for combat during a marine operation. The police have started to remove illegal encroachments across coastal areas, especially in places such as Reti Bunder and Lakda Bunder in south Mumbai. At a later stage, the centres could be integrated with the joint operations centre at INS Angre to facilitate seamless integration of the existing security apparatus with the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

The coastal police will handle up to 12 nautical miles. While the Coast Guard covers the distance from 12 to 22 nautical miles, beyond that till the international waters, the seas are secured by the Indian Navy.

The centres will act as a common point between landing points and the five police stations where speed boats will be parked and dispatched whenever needed.