Home Minister Amit Shah and the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday reviewed the progress made towards the establishment of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS).
Shah said only licensed private security agencies should be entrusted with the task of port security and only those private security personnel who have received training from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) should be deployed for such duties.
The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Secretary Border Management, Secretary Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Secretary Department of Fisheries, Director General CISF and other officials concerned.
The Home Minister emphasized that the training of security personnel for the Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) should commence at the earliest using the existing infrastructure available for the institute.
He further directed that a database of all security personnel to be deployed under the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) should be created.
Shah also said that all ports covered under the BoPS security framework should have container scanning facilities, and directed the CISF to conduct trial runs of the security arrangements proposed to be handed over to the BoPS at major ports across the country, including Visakhapatnam Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and Mundra Port.
He said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is committed to making the country’s coastal security unbreachable.
Meanwhile, the BoPS is being established as a statutory body under the provisions of Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025. The Bureau will be headed by a Director General and will function under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and will shoulder the responsibility for regulatory and inspection functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities. It will ensure timely analysis, collection, and sharing of security-related information, with a special focus on cyber security, and will also have a dedicated division to safeguard the IT infrastructure of ports against digital threats.
Shah also held a meeting with officials of the Department of Fisheries and issued necessary directions for strengthening the security of fishing harbours and fish landing centres.
He directed that the ‘Nabhmitra’ app, developed by ISRO, should be promoted more extensively so that a larger number of fishermen can download it on their mobile phones.
He directed officials of the Department of Fisheries to write to the District Magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all districts, asking them to submit to the Central Government a list of all fish landing centres located in their respective districts.
He also said that the registration process for fishermen should be made simpler and more accessible.
He directed that the District SPs should ensure adequate security arrangements at fish landing centres, emphasizing that only permanent police personnel are deployed at these facilities.