The Hindu : `Security of south India neglected'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Security of south India neglected'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 22. The need for greater attention to the security of south India was highlighted at a two-day seminar, which began here on Monday.

According to the Centre for Security Analysis (CSA), which has organised the programme, south India's security, both in military and non-traditional spheres, has not received much attention. The programme will deal with maritime security, internal threats, cyber-terrorism, threats to nuclear facilities and ecology and social problems.

Presenting an overall view of the external and internal threats, their possible sources and the tools that may be employed, the Governor, P.S. Ramamohan Rao, said the emergence of hydrocarbon reserves in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, oil and gas production and their transportation infrastructure centres were of great strategic importance. India's share of world trade was also increasing. Hence there was need to guard the sealanes. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands would also assume strategic importance.

The other area of strategic importance was that the bulk of the country's nuclear installations were on the east and west coasts. There were tensions between Sri Lanka and India. And the minorities problem in Sri Lanka, if not resolved, might pose a problem to Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

On internal threats, he said the naxalite problem in Andhra Pradesh had an impact on the neighbouring States. It called for a perceptive combined effort by all States in peninsular India. Once the naxalites became strong, their activities might not be confined to Andhra Pradesh.

River water disputes could lead to serious problems of internal security. Caste alienation in southern States, religious fundamentalism, poverty, regional imbalance in development and corruption were the other threats.

The Madras University Vice-Chancellor, S.P.Thyagarajan, who spoke on `Bio-terrorism', said biological weapons were highly infectious. They could be manufactured in large quantities and were easily dispersable and cost-effective. He suggested constant monitoring of microbes in the environment, a good surveillance mechanism to detect secondary infection and quick detection and treatment.

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