Defence Secy inaugurates 8th National Level Pollution Response Exercise by Coast Guard

Union Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar on Tuesday inaugurated the eighth edition of National Level Pollution Response Exercise NATPOLREX being conducted by the Indian Coast Guard.

Union Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar on Tuesday inaugurated the eighth edition of National Level Pollution Response Exercise NATPOLREX being conducted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off Mormugao harbour in Goa.

The two-day marine spill preparedness exercise was inaugurated by the defence secretary in the presence of Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary, Dr M Ravichandran, ICG Director General VS Pathania, DG South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) Dr Md Masumur Rahman and various senior dignitaries from Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, National Disaster Response Force, India Meteorological Department, Indian Navy and the Goa Pollution Control Board.

National Level Pollution Response Exercise #NATPOLREX -Vlll #Goa inaugurated by Dr Ajay Kumar, IAS, Defence Secretary, Govt of India in presence of Secretary, MoE&S and Director General @IndiaCoastGuard. @drajaykumar_ias#MarineProtection #Sea #Sagar #SACEP#ConnectedThroughSea pic.twitter.com/rHsy0xeTqe

The event is being attended by more than 85 participants from 50 agencies, including 29 observers from 22 friendly foreign countries and International Organisations, and two Coast Guard ships from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The objective of NATPOLREX-VIII is to enhance the preparedness and response capability of all the stakeholders in combating marine spills. It aims at validating the procedures and guidelines as contained in the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) at the national and regional levels under the aegis of SACEP MoU to which India is a member state.