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Indian Coast Guard
भारतीय तट रक्षक |
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| Indian Coast Guard Crest |
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Indian Coast Guard Flag |
The Indian Coast Guard (Bharatiya Thatrakshak) was constituted as the fourth armed union of India, on 19 August 1978, under the Coast Guard Act. The force's main function is to protect India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), covering an area of 2.02 million sq. km, and operates under the effective control of the Ministry of Defense.
The coast guard works closely with the Indian navy and the Indian Customs Department. India's coast guard has a large number of fast craft including hovercrafts and hydrofoils. They patrol the seas and river mouths. The coast guard has performed a number of tasks rescuing distressed personnel. It has also apprehended pirates on high seas and cleaned up oil spills. Heavy patrolling of sensitive areas such as Gujarat, West Bengal and Mumbai have resulted in catching a large number of smugglers and illegal immigrants.
Coast Guard vessels and aircraft have been assisting the custom authorities in anti-smuggling operations and has effectively served national interests in high-risk areas. They are also used in SAR operations, anti-pollution and other duties in maritime zones. While protection of the high seas is vested with the Indian Navy, the area between 10 and 30 nautical miles from the shore is under the charge of the Coast Guard and from shore to five nautical miles with the coastal police as well as the Coast Guard.
Operational Commands
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The Indian Coast Guard's Central HQ is located in New Delhi.
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Regional HQs are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
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West Coast District HQs are located at Porbandar, Mumbai, Mangalore, Kochi and Goa. The District HQ at Porbander includes coast guard stations at Jakhau, Vadinar and Okha and an air station at Porbandar itself. The District HQ at Kochi includes coast guard stations at Kavaratti and Vizhinjam. The District HQ at Goa includes an coast guard air enclave at Daman.
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East Coast District HQs are located at Chennai, Vizag, Paradip, Haldia and Kolkata. The District HQ at Chennai includes coast guard stations at Tuticorin and Mandapam.
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Port Blair District HQs are located at Diglipur and Campbell Bay.
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