Govt to give trawlers to marine police

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-12-09
PANAJI — The state government will provide four trawlers procured on hire to the coastal/ marine police as there is no adequate mechanism available with them for the surveillance of coastal waters along the Goan coastline. The state has a coastline of around 105 km.
The Chief Secretary, Mr J P Singh told ‘The Navhind Times’ on Monday that the decision has been taken by the home department.
“Presently there are four small speed boats existing with the coastal/ marine police and they are just not enough for the purpose of maintaining the vigilance as well as chasing the vessels in case of any suspicious activities in the sea,” he added.The state government has already clarified that it has beefed up security along the Goan coastline following the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai wherein the attackers arrived through the sea route.
It is learnt that the central government has allocated nine ultra-modern surveillance vessels for Goa along with other coastal states. Out of these nine vessels, the large vessels weigh 12 tonnes each, while the smaller ones weigh 5 tonnes. These vessels are presently being constructed at the Goa Shipyard workshop. Two of these vessels are expected to be commissioned by March 2009. The 12-tonne vessels will be operational in the deep sea outside the 12 nautical mile distance while the 5-tonne vessels would be functioning within this distance.
“By the time our vessels are commissioned, the hired trawlers would be operational along the Goan coastline, preferably two along North Goa and other two along South Goa,” the Chief Secretary informed.
The coastal/ marine police presently function through three police stations located at Siolim, Mobor and harbour, Vasco. It also has a workforce of around 70 people, including sub-inspectors and constables.