[Reader-list] Fishermen, Kerala's coast guard

[T Peter]

Fishermen, Kerala's coast guard
CITHARA PAUL
New Delhi, Dec. 25: The Kerala government has sought the assistance
of fishermen for surveillance along the Kerala coastline to prevent
Mumbai-style incursions from the sea.

The home and fisheries departments have jointly mooted a proposal to
collaborate with the fishing community, saying the "sons of the sea"
would be the best way to secure the 610km stretch along the Arabian
Sea.

According to the proposal, certain fishermen in each village will be
instructed to inform police of any suspicious activities in the sea
or on the coast. The police, along with the coast guard, the navy and
marine police, will act on the information. The selected fishermen
will be given basic physical training and provided walkie-talkies and
other communication equipment.

The plan has been placed before various fishermen organisations and
the modalities will be finalised at a meeting with them on Monday.

After the Mumbai attack, some fishermen in the city had complained
that they had alerted the police but no action was taken.

"The coastal border is as vital as the land border, if not more, and
alert fisherfolk could be of great assistance to the security forces.
Nobody knows the sea and its activities better than the fishermen,"
said home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The government plans to issue smart cards to fishermen for their
identification. It is also working on identification marks for boats
and canoes operating from the Kerala coast so that they can be easily
distinguished from other vessels. Registration of boats has already
been made compulsory in the state.

T. Peter, the national secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum,
said: "We are only too willing to co-operate with the security
agencies."
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