Staff Reporter - India

RAMANATHAPURAM: The Navy’s ships and installations, including Naval Air Station at Uchipuli, had been alerted following the LTTE’s air attack in Sri Lanka.

“We are closely monitoring the situation,” Commodore Phillip Van Haltren, Naval Officer-in-Charge, Tamil Nadu, told The Hindu over phone on Monday. Though IAF was taking care of air defence, the Navy was in close contact with it to get air object signal, if any, from Sri Lankan side.

Mr. Haltren said a high level team of IAF officials met him in Chennai recently and discussed ways and means to enhance the coastal security and sharing of information. “We have chalked out a mechanism to share information among us so as to take quick action. It is working very well. We are in close contact with the IAF Liaison Centre at Meenambakkam to share information,” he added. He said air surveillance had been increased on Palk Bay, Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar areas.

The Navy had a plan to strengthen its security along Rameswaram coast. It would be operationalised soon