SOURCE : INDIA TODAY
Twelve years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack by Pakistani terrorists, who had come on an Indian boat, 1.5 lakh or nearly half the fishing vessels in Indian waters do not have transponders that can aid in the tracking of these boats at all times.
Out of the 2.9 lakh fishing vessels in the country, 50-60 per cent are less than 20 metres in length and the fitting of transponders is almost negligible, sources said.
“Most of the smaller fishing vessels still do not have transponders, but certain viable options are being considered,” said an official.
While satellite-based monitoring for these ‘dark boats’ is an option, the boat should ideally have a transponder to be tracked without any delay.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has provided 1,000 transponders for trials for these boats, an official privy to the details said.
After the 26/11 attack in 2008, as part of enhanced security measures, all boats more than 20 metres long were supposed to have automatic identification system transponders to facilitate their tracking.
While boats more than 20 metres long have been fitted with these, fishing vessels less than 20 metres constitute more than half the total number of such boats.
This means there are still more than 1.5 lakh fishing vessels that go into the waters without tracking devices.
Pakistani terrorists had used an Indian boat, Al Kuber, to reach Mumbai and laid siege in the city killing 166 people. Fitting of transponders in the smaller boats is a state subject and has led to delays as most fishermen complain of high costs that they cannot afford.
While a series of big changes has been made to enhance maritime security with marine police stations being set up and better mechanisms in place to get real-time intelligence, the most basic measure of ensuring every boast can be tracked is still missing.
Officials said state governments along with other agencies like the fisheries department are working at measures including subsidiaries to ensure transponders on fishing boats.
