The 5th Apex Committee Review Meeting (ACRM) on Coastal Security of Andhra Pradesh was Conducted at Visakhapatnam on 16 July 2021

The 5th Apex Committee Review Meeting (ACRM) on Coastal Security of Andhra Pradesh was conducted by HQENC at Visakhapatnam on 16 July 2021. The Review Meeting was co-chaired by Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, FOCINC ENC and Shri Aditya Nath Das IAS, Chief Secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, and attended by the representatives from all the stakeholders including from the State Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Coast Guard, IB, Customs, CISF, Marine Police, Dept. of Fisheries, Minor Port Authorities and Oil Operators. Key issues on Coastal Security, developments and progress made since the last Review in 2019 were discussed and suitably addressed. Various actions promulgated by the Steering Committee for Review of Coastal Security (SCRCS) such as identification and communication with fishing vessels, their colour coding, training and equipment of Coastal Police and their infrastructure development issues, setting up of village committees etc. were discussed and deliberated upon and a clear way ahead was finalised. The Meeting achieved its overall aim of finding solutions to strengthen the Coastal Security of Andhra Pradesh as well as achieve greater synergy among all the stakeholders. Meeting in 2020 could not be held view COVID pandemic situation. On the sidelines of the meeting, Shri Aditya Nath Das, IAS, had discussions with Vice Admiral AB Singh and was briefed on the activities of Command. The Chief Secretary was also briefed on various ongoing and future naval infrastructure projects being undertaken in Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Secretary assured full support to the Indian Navy and urged all stakeholders to complete actions in a time bound manner.