Limitations of surveillance came to light after boat-with-arms incident near Raigad coast, says top Navy official

  • | Saturday | 3rd December, 2022

Mumbai, Dec 3 (PTI) Limitations of air and sea surveillance and inadequate radar support were the reason an unmanned boat with arms on board could drift close to the Maharashtra coast in August, a top Navy official said on Saturday.Steps were taken to strengthen the coastal security following the incident, said Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.Speaking to reporters during a Navy Day celebration here, he said fishing trawlers would be hired to improve patrolling on the western coast, among other things.`Lady Han", a boat owned by an Australian woman and carrying three AK-47 rifles and ammunition, drifted in inclement weather and was found near Shrivardhan in Maharashtra"s Raigad district, 180 km south of Mumbai.Though the government said there was no security threat, the incident caused sensation.“The three major gaps we noticed during the Lady Han boat incident were chiefly...limitations in air and sea surveillance, cloudy skies and limited support of the radar," vice admiral Singh said.The weather condition affected surveillance, he added.“In monsoon months, if you have a boat, unmanned and adrift...it was barely above the surface water, (there was) 90 per cent cloud cover and the ability of the any surveillance devise was severely degraded, then such things happen," Singh said."I am not here to justify it but one must understand how surveillance happens,” he added.Based on the "lessons learnt and refinement of the processes," the government approved the setting up of an enhanced coastal security network, the official said."It comprises coastal guard chains, electro-optical payloads like cameras for the watch. These are under the Coast Guard, maintained by the Bharat Electronics,” Singh said. PTI ND KRK KRK


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