Post 26/11, fishers are eyes & ears in guarding Indian coasts: ADG

Thoothukudi: Fishermen are our eyes and ears in guarding our coast, said the Additional Director General of Indian Coast Guard V.S.R. Murthy here on Wednesday.  

Inaugurating the type-III staff quarters of the Indian Coast Guard station at Thoothukudi, he said that the responsibility of the Indian Coast Guard increased after the 26/11 Mumbai Taj hotel attack. Hence, surveillance along the coast of all maritime states and union territories, search and rescue, pollution control activities, a definitive action plan for the next five years have been proposed and approved by the union defence ministry at an estimated cost of Rs 36,000 crore, he said.

“The fishermen are our eyes and ears,” said the Coast Guard officer, who said that fishermen often give the first information about any illegal activity to the Coast Guard in our waters. He also advised the fishermen to carry all necessary safety gadgets like life jackets and communication gadgets.

Responding to the general complaint that emergency alert systems like the Distress Alert Transmitters (DATs) are not affordable for fishermen, the Coast Guard ADG said that to overcome this problem, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has been developing a low cost transponder exclusively for fishermen and maritime states in the country. They have resolved to ensure the fixation of this low cost transponders, once it is developed, in all fishing boats not less than 20 metres long.

The Coast Guard officer said that the Thoothukudi Coast Guard station is to get an air enclave soon to operate Chetak helicopters and Dornier planes.

Later, along with his colleagues, the Coast Guard commander (eastern region) Inspector General Rajan Bargotra, Thoothukudi Coast Guard station commander, DIG Babu Venkatesh, Coast Guard ADG Murthy planted tree saplings within the premises of the staff quarters.