JOIN USA high alert has been sounded along two coastal Odisha districts of Balasore and Bhadrak following intelligence report of a possible terror attack on vital defence installations through the sea route.
India’s both missile testing centres are located in these two districts.
While one is located at Chandipur in Balasore districts, the other is placed in the Wheelers Island off the coast of Dhamara in Bhadrak district. Both are being run by the high profile Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Tight security
Police sources said the marine police station in Balasore district had already been directed to put in service all the three interceptor boats at its disposal for a round the clock vigil inside the sea near the coastline of both districts.
Manual patrolling on the land near the coast has also been intensified. Besides, associations of fishing trawlers and fishermen unions in both districts have also been taken into confidence.
“They have been asked to immediately inform and alert authorities if they found any unknown fishing trawler moving suspiciously in the area,” said the source.
Sources at the Home Department said the authorities in Ganjam district in the southern Odisha coast had also been alerted though the intelligence report was specific for the two north Odisha districts.
“Though intelligence warning was only for the two north Odisha districts, we decided not take any chances and also alert the authorities in Ganjam district.”
Defence installations
Like Balasore and Bhadrak, Ganjam district also has two important defence installations. An army training centre is located in the coastal town of Gopalpur while Chilka Lake houses INS Chilka, a naval training centre.
Though the brackish water lagoon, considered to be the biggest in Asia, is spread over three districts of Ganjam, Puri and Khurda, the naval training centre is located on the Ganjam side of the lake.