The Additional Director General, Virender Singh Pathania, on Friday (01-11-2019) has taken over charge as Coast Guard Commander (Eastern Seaboard), from Additional Director General KR Nautiyal. During the charge taking ceremony, a 50-men guard was presented at an impressive parade at Headquarters, Eastern Seaboard, Visakhapatnam. The flag officer Pathania will exercise Operational and Administrative control over the east coast from the State of West Bengal to Tamil Nadu.

The recipient of Presidents Tatrakshak medal for distinguished service, Pathania is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College at Delhi. He is a qualified helicopter pilot and holds masters degree in defence and strategic studies from University of Madras. He also specialises in search and rescue and has undertaken port operations with US Coast Guard.

The officer has served the organisation in various assignments in the past three and half decades. Earlier, he was the deputy director general of policy and plans at ICG headquarters in Delhi. He held various key posts. He was the commander of coast guard region northwest and west and commanded all classes of ships, Inshore Patrol Vessel Ranijindan, OPV Varaha and advanced OPV Sarang.