Cooperation vital to tackle Maoist problem

HYDERABAD: Improving security along the coastal belt through better coordination between Marine police and the coast guard was among a host of topics discussed at a high-level meeting on internal security held here on Wednesday.Former Union home secretary, VK Duggal, who is presently convener of the central sub-committee on internal security held discussions with officials from the Army, Navy, state police in the presence of Home minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy and chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi. Duggal has been travelling to various states and holding discussions with respective state governments about matters pertaining to internal security. The panel is among various sub-committees formed by the Centre to look into different aspects of national security.The other issue discussed was exchange of information among Naxal-affected states including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The committee also took feedback from marine, coast police and other police wings about their field-level problems along with the state’s anti-terror unit, Octopus. The team also met chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and briefed him about the internal security situation.