A few days before Pakistan’s submarine PNS Ghazi’s mysterious drowning drowned during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, a few days before the mysterious drowning of Pakistan’s mysterious sinking, was indicated by local fishermen with an abnormal point of view of the sea-below the sea-that will soon shape a dramatic chapter in naval history.
In the early hours of December 5, 1971, the fishermen saw a large -scale black object in their traditional boats, which was a pointed gourd shaped, which was rising from the depth near the coast. Fearful and uncertain, they went back to the edge and reported strange vision to the local authorities. This unexpected encounter became an important intelligence clue for the Indian Navy, confirming that the elusive Gazi was working close to the port of Visakhapatnam.
But that was only the beginning. Soon after, the villagers held long, bearded people in Lungi, speaking Hindi, bought a large amount of provisions, and paid in Indian rupees. Who were these mysterious visitors, and what was their real purpose?
Former naval officials believe that the first vision of fishermen was submarine surfaceing to recharge their battery, while in the second members of the enemy’s crew secretly supply supply. Nevertheless, there are deep stories below these accounts, which only appeared more than war -time exercises.
Both visions provided important intelligence to the Eastern Navy Command, headed by Deputy Admiral N. Was done under the leadership of Krishnan, which enables a coordinated strike based on several inputs. While Ghazi’s various accounts of sinking, the official Indian version INS Rajput creats an R-class destroyer, using the allegations of depth sinks.
Role of coastal security
The long, porous coast line of Andhra Pradesh makes it weak, and plays an important role in providing major intelligence information to keep the local fisherman community coast. Recognizing this, securing the coastline became a national priority.
After the 1999 Kargil War, a Union Government’s minister panel was tasked to rebuild coastal security. Their solution: Each coastal state should have a dedicated special force to patrol and protect its water.
This led to the creation of a three-level coastal security system. The first layer, up to 12 sea miles from the coastline, is managed by the coastal security police (CSP). 12 to 200 knots – Exclusive Economic Area (EEZ) – Coast Guard takes charge, while beyond this, Navy works in international water, Gopinath Jatti, Digging the CSP of AP.
In 2005, Andhra Pradesh received its initial allocation: six coastal police stations and 18 fast interceptor crafts (13 weighing 12 tonnes and 13 tonnes out of 13), funded by the central government.
With about 1,053 km coastline from Sriharikota to HPCL in Nellore in Visakhapatnam, the state hosts a major port, five non-head or private ports, 595 coastal villages, and 350 fish landing centers, requiring all important points.
In the second phase, Andhra Pradesh was approved to 15 additional coastal police stations, leading to a total of 21, which strengthened the state’s ability to monitor and secure a huge beach.
Defunk boats, decline security
After the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, CSP forces received a lot of upgrade in states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Odisha. However, Andhra Pradesh has fallen far behind despite its strategically important establishments.
All 18 CSP boats in the state have been non-conducting since 2018, when the annual maintenance contract with shipbuilders and engineers (GRSE) in the garden (AMC), boat manufacturer, ended and not renewed due to standing cost of about ₹ 12 million per year.
The approved strength of the CSP is about 1,500 personnel, but more than 500 are currently active. Many coastal police stations are in poor condition, suffering from proper maintenance and lack of support.
One of the major issues is that five non-proclaimed ports in Andhra Pradesh are privately owned and are safe by private agencies, leaving the CSP without any control or accountability. Only the Visakhapatnam port CISF is protected by a central paramilitary force.
There are about 29 islands in the state, three of which are inhabited, but no one has effectively patrolling or jetty for man for CSP personnel.
Although the central government has approved of 3 crore to make seven JT, CSP officials say the fund is inadequate. The Center has been requested to increase new proposals.
Initiative
Despite many challenges, the CSP is trying to fulfill its mandate effectively. Talk to HinduMr. Jatti said that the CSP is currently non-functional with boats, he has carried forward joint patrol efforts with the Indian Navy and Coast Guards. He said, “We take two days of patrolling naval ships and with Coast Guards daily. It also improves our marine travel skills,” he said.
Another initiative is to adopt fishing villages – each constable is assigned at least one village, allowing CSP to cover all 595 fishing communities. Explaining this approach, Mr. Jatti said, “Our main idea is to get closer to the community. We have seen in the past that the community of fishing plays an important role in sharing information. In addition, it also helps us to organize community outreach programs.”
To intelligence-intelligence, Mr. Jatti has also launched a coastal intelligence unit, led by DSP and has worked with employees with 40 personnel including inspectors. Its primary role is collecting intelligence from all coastal stakeholders – fishing communities, village residents, traveler pilots and traditional fishermen.
“Post 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, relevance to gather intelligence from various stakeholders, recognized and well understood. This unit not only collects information from the fishing community, but also includes more and more informal looks from all the inhabitants of coastal villages, traditional pilots and traditional fishermen. We are involved in making a toll number 1093 to make people more informally. It is done so that people can be informed about any incident, including drowning and missing complaints, ”he said.
Pending proposal
A host of important proposals is currently waiting for approval from the state government, which can revive and strengthen the CSP.
On top of the list is the renewal of the annual maintenance contract (AMC) for the 18 fast interceptor craft (fix) manufactured by GRSE. Without this renewal, the risks of the already grounded fleet are completely distracted. These fixes designed for operational, high-speed interception, search-and-rakew missions and anti-soul-smelling operations will restore the important muscle to CSP. So far, the force has cracked 42 cases related to illegal migrants, but their access is currently limited without boats.
To bridge the difference, CSP has proposed to hire 20 private boats to patrol as an interim solution, which will spend the state around ₹ 6 crores annually.
Another proposal wants to bring technology into the game. The CSP has requested funds to buy 27 high -end monitoring drones with an estimated price tag of 27 25 crores. These drones are expected to have a limit of at least 5 km to suit marine needs. A senior CSP official said, “Even if high-end drones have not been approved, we have also included a low cost option.
To increase the beach patrolling, the force has also demanded some all-round vehicles. “So far, our personnel have saved around 95 people from drowning,” said Mr. Jatti.
Nevertheless, challenges are not just technical or logical. Although the CSP is a fully recognized wing of the police, its legal powers are limited; It can currently work under just 18 sections of the Indian Judication Code. A proposal has been submitted to expand it in at least 50 classes, enabling the authorities to act more decisively.
Some progress has been made. “The color coding of the fishing boats is done, and the installation of transponders is going on,” said Mr. Jatti. “The Center has approved 3 lakh transponders. We have received 1 lakh, and about 60% have already been established.”
To tighten the tracking, work is also going on to set up a centralized information center. “We need to know when each fishing boat leaves, which is riding and when they return. It is not just monitoring; it is about closing the flaws that can cause traffic or intruders to exploit,” Mr. Jatti explained.
But until the pending proposals get green lights, these plans remain aspirations. For a force that is more than 1,000 km coastline, time is ticking and the system should be caught before exploiting weaknesses.
Published – May 31, 2025 12:40 AM IST
