Thrissur, Tuesday 01 June 2010: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said that the State has taken steps to protect its coastal belt.
Speaking after inaugurating a coastal police station at Azhikode near Kodungalloor, he said the station would help strengthen vigil along the coastal belt of Thrissur district.

“Safeguarding the coastal security has become a great challenge for the country. The State is not free from the threat. The State has taken all possible measures to ensure safety along its 600-km coastline.”

The Minister said the coastal jagratha samithy, a well-appreciated concept, was an attempt by the State government to rope in local fishing community to tackle terror threats from the sea. Though the Centre had sanctioned eight coastal police stations for the State in 2005, the work has been delayed due to some technical problems.

The other coastal police stations will be commissioned in two months. The State has requested the Centre to sanction eight more stations. The police station will conduct round-the-clock sea patrolling around five nautical miles off the Kodungalloor shoreline.