New Delhi: As part of the ongoing peace process, India and Pakistan are in the process of finalising a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on setting up of a second hotline between the two countries for exchange of information pertaining to violations by fishing boats from either side.

"We have exchanged a number of papers on the draft MoU," Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta, director general of Coast Guard said in New Delhi today (Jan 30, 2004).

The MoU is likely to figure prominently in the official level talks between the two countries in Islamabad beginning February 16.

Apart from establishing communication links between the Indian Coast Guard headquarters and Pakistan Maritime Agency located at Karachi, the MoU would cover joint measures to check sea pollution and exchange of information on violations by fishing boats from either country, besides sorting out the issue of innocent straying by fishermen into each other's territorial waters in an expeditious manner.

"We may later graduate to holding of face to face meetings also," Mehta told reporters as he outlined a major drive launched by the Coast Guard to beef up security in the country's coastal belt particularly in Gujarat and Maharashtra to check any clandestine bid to smuggle arms and explosives.

The Coast Guard chief said a 15-year perspective plan had been formulated to increase the strength of the force to 146 warships, 12 hovercraft and 100 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.

He said as part of the plan, this year the force was inducting one Large Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel, five fast patrol crafts and some aircraft at a cost of Rs 900 crores.