Mangaluru: N Shivkumar, ADGP, Additional Commandant General of Home Guards, said on Tuesday that three coastal districts in Karnataka have been identified as vulnerable by the Ministry of Home Affairs in terms of being open to industrial mishaps.

Addressing mediapersons in the city, Shivakumar said that according to a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the State Home Ministry has been asked to form civil defence groups in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada.

“DK, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts have been identified as vulnerable as they are situated along the coastline. The presence of petroleum, chemical factories and power plants has made the areas more sensitive. The notification came a year and half ago. Funds too have been released for the same,” he said.