No proper licensing mechanism for syrangs

Kochi: The Fort Kochi boat tragedy has kicked off  a debate about the urgent need for a proper licensing mechanism for the syrangs  of boats in Kerala.   

The Kerala ports department has issued 2,000 licences to syrangs  in the state.  However,  only 15 sranks in Kochi have valid licences, sources said.

No authority is monitoring the fishing vessels.  The fisheries department,  the licensing authority of the fishing vessels,  is  not providing any licence to the syrangs.

After the introduction of  Kerala Inland Vessels Rules 2010,  close to 2,000 persons underwent a licensing course initiated by the ports department.  It offers a five-day course for a fee of Rs 1,000.

According to Boat Owners Association president Joseph Xavier,  there are 750 boats in Kochi itself. The number of inboard vessels like the one that rammed the ferry boat killing 10  persons will be 200.

“The authorities are turning a blind eye to  the functioning of fishing vessels. Government has not considered our repeated demands for a proper monitoring system or Automatic Identification System (AIS) used on ships and by Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels.

The fisheries department monitors  only  the fishing licenses for vessels engaged in fishing. It does not consider the technical knowledge of the persons employed  as syrangs by owners of  boats.