While the usual rituals are performed on every anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai Terrorists attacks, there are still many chinks in coastal security, going by the malfunctioning amphibious boats procured to beef up security around the 114-km-long Mumbai coast.
The area near Badhwar Park at Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, from where Ajmal Kasab and his gang entered the city using an inflatable dinghy, lies open without any hindrance. A protective wall was to be constructed at Badhwar Park, but nothing has happened.
“Far from taking help of local fishermen, security agencies, including the Coast Guard, harass them with unnecessary inquiries. Former fisheries minister Eknath Khadse had started a system of issuing a coupon to every fishing boat before they proceed for fishing to keep a tab on them. This was despite the fact that most of the fishermen are having biometric passes. Now a private contractor issues a pass to every boat. This indicates that the government has more faith in private contractor then local fishermen engaged in fishing for ages,” Damodar Tandel, President, Akhil Maharashtra Machimar Kriti Samiti said.
“I do not understand why they are suspecting fishermen of being terrorists? Also, it is very easy to forge these coupons. The biometric system is perfect but needs to be implemented completely,” Tandel said, adding that on the other hand, there are also many Bangladeshi nationals who do not have proper documentation. “There are several instances of fishermen employing these Bangladeshi nationals for deep sea fishing as they provide cheap labour. He said that’s also a security threat”.
“Also whenever any VVIP visits Mumbai, the fisherfolks are asked to stop fishing for two days, without any logic”.
Meanwhile, although it was announced that 25 coastal police stations would be constructed, till date only four stations Gorai and Mahim (Mumbai), Kelwa and Satpati, Palghar) have been constructed. Besides, they are yet to be provided with adequate staff. DCP (Ports) Rashmi Karandikar did not offer any comments.
Also, most of the 23 sealeg amphibious boats, bought from New Zealand in 2009, are in a bad shape due to lack of proper maintenance. The cost of the repairs of these boats is more than the cost of the boats. Whenever they develop snags, these boats are required to be taken to a workshop in Goa, for repairs. Of these four boats were already scrapped due to lack of maintenance earlier and the public accounts committee (PAC) of the Maharashtra legislature had also criticised the government for this.
Basically the police had asked the government for permission to sign an annual maintenance contract with the New Zealand supplier in 2010. However, the permission came only in 2013. By then, the supplier refused to sign the contact, owing to the reduced value of the rupee then. For want of maintenance and non-availability of spare parts of the boats, the police could not use them for patrolling the city’s coast after January 2011.
Meanwhile, the state government is planning to set up Marine Operation rooms at Sasoon Dock and Bandra, fitted with thermal cameras, satellite phones and speedboats.