Port Blair, March 24 (IANS) India will take steps to increase surveillance along its coastline, particularly in the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the country's southernmost military base, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said here Saturday.

"Previously, we were concentrating on the land borders. Because we have been able to tighten them, we now have to focus on the costal areas to prevent any attempts at infiltration from the sea," Antony told reporters on his first visit as the defence minister here to study the functioning of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is responsible for guarding 30 percent of India's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the region around the Straits of Malacca, the world's busiest waterway.

"Because of the Straits of Malacca, the Andamans are located in a strategically important area. There is always the possibility of doubtful elements attempting to come in and we have to guard against this," he added.

Antony's visit is part of his familiarisation tour of key defence establishments across the country. The Andaman archipelago comprises 572 islands and is located some 1,200 km off India's southern coast.

The minister, who Saturday inspected an amphibious counter-terrorist operation mounted by the three wings of the armed forces, later flew over the northern portion of the Andaman chain.

On Sunday, he will visit the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Car Nicobar that was completely destroyed along with a number of civilian assets in the devastating Dec 26, 2004, tsunami.

After inspecting the post-tsumani relief measures, Antony will fly to Indira Point, the southernmost tip of India from where the Indonesian island of Sumatra is just 60 nautical miles away as the crow flies, before returning to New Delhi.