Rajnath Singh reviews coastal security in Daman and Diu

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the security along the coast in Daman and Diu and asked the authorities to ensure further enhancement of protection of seas off the union territory.

Singh, who is on a two-day visit here, had a detailed meeting with the Daman and Diu administration regarding various aspects of coastal security.

The Home Minister reviewed the coastal security apparatus, a coastal police station and an operational detachment in Daman and Diu, a Home Ministry official said.

He asked all concerned to ensure further enhancement of coastal security, the official said.

The Daman and Diu coasts are guarded by four coastal boats and foot patrol. One coastal police jetty at Daman is already operational while construction of a jetty at Diu is in advanced stage.

The Home Minister inaugurated a new coastal police station at Diu while construction of another one is at an advanced stage in Daman.

Singh also discussed various development and governance issues of the Union Territories (UTs) of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli located along the Arabian sea.

The UT administrator expressed his gratitude to the Home Minister for the creation of 114 posts for coastal police and assured that recruitment will be completed soon and both the new coastal police stations will start working in full capacity within six months.

The Home minister expressed satisfaction on the progress made by the Union Territory for strengthening and upgrading the infrastructure and called for creating greater synergies amongst all agencies involved in this endeavour.

During the visit, Rajnath Singh inaugurated a newly-constructed 60-bedded district hospital with different speciality services built at a cost of Rs 27 crore.

A three-MW solar power plant was dedicated and foundation stone of a six-MW plant was laid by.

The commissioning of the plant will make Diu the first district in the country to meet its entire energy requirement from solar energy.

The Home Minister also laid the foundation stone of a government polytechnic college and inaugurated an auditorium with a seating capacity of 600 people.

Singh said time has come to give a greater push to tourism in conjunction with the neighbouring state of Gujarat and develop Diu-Gir-Somnath and Daman-Sanjan-Udwada as tourist circuits.

The Home Minister said he would ask the Civil Aviation Minister to launch air connectivity on the Ahmadabad-Diu sector at the earliest and will also urge the Shipping Minister to start Catamaran services between Mumbai, Daman and Diu for improving the sea connectivity between them.