Trends of discussions in the United Nations 3rd Conference On Law of Seas (UNCLOS III) indicated that many countries would claim an Exclusive Economic Zone extending to 200 miles from their coasts. In our case, this was an area of 2.8 million sq kms which needed to be Policed, Patrolled, Explored and Exploited. 1970 saw a big spurt in smuggling across the seas surrounding our country. It became imperative to curb smuggling effectively. The Indian Coast Guard (Bharatiya Tatrakshak), a para-military force was constituted under the Ministry of Defence on 19th August, 1978. It is a primary Government agency entrusted with Maritime Law enforcement authority in the exclusive economic zone of India and has the following objectives :
-- Protecting the maritime and other national interests in the Maritime Zones of India
-- Ensuring the safety and protection of artificial islands, off-shore terminals, installations and other structures and devices in the Maritime Zones
-- Providing protection to fishermen including assistance to them at sea while in distress
-- Providing measures in order to preserve and protect the maritime environment and to prevent and control marine pollution
-- Assisting the Customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations
-- Enforcing the provisions of legislation enacted for application in the Maritime Zones
-- Providing measures for the safety of life and property at sea and collection
of scientific data
The Indian Coast Guard has following achievement to its credit. It has :
-- Apprehended foreign fishing trawlers poaching in our waters
-- Assisted the customs in anti-smuggling operations resulting in seizure of contraband
-- Prevented poaching of the great ridley sea turtles off the coasts of Orissa and West Bengal
-- Rescued fishermen and assisted Indian and foreign merchant vessels in distress at sea
The ships of the Coast guard are white in colour and are different from Indian Naval vessels.
Coastguard has advanced as well as simple off shore patrol vessels, fast patrol vessels, inshore patrol vessels and interceptor boats and crafts.
Nature of Work
Coastguards have the following operational branches :
General Duty Branch
This is the operational branch of the Coast Guard which is in Command of ships at sea manned by officers of the General Duty Branch. General Duty Officers operate weapons and sensors and perform the command function which demands a wide sphere of knowledge of equipment. The safety of ship and men, the manoeuvre of ships in war and in peacetime operations is their responsibility.Pilot/Navigator Branch
Coast Guard operates fixed wing aircraft from shore Air Stations for surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone. In addition, helicopters are embarked on coast guard offshore patrol vessels to provide local surveillance and perform, “Search and Rescue” missions at sea.
Operating these air crafts at sea is a challenging task. Officers of the Pilot/Navigator Branch, serve in the shore air-stations along the coasts of India, as well as on embark ships.
Engineering Branch
Modern ships and air crafts abound with advanced technology and machinery. Engineering Officers are responsible for keeping all these equipments serviceable. They get opportunities to work in shore jobs in Coast Guard Repair Organisations. Their career is inter spread with technical courses up to post-graduation level in India and abroad.
Electrical Branch
A ship is a floating mini-city which has its own power generation and distribution system. In addition, complex radio communication equipment, radars and other sensors are also installed on board. A majority of these are progressively being either computer-based or computer-aided and incorporate the latest trends in electronics. For a ship to be able to perform its functions effectively, all this equipment must be kept working at peak efficiency.
