Maharashtra issues directives to fishermen; asks them to be 'eyes and ears' for coastal security

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has issued "security directives" to fishermen operating off the Palghar coast and asked them to be vigilant to keep the country's maritime border safe amid ongoing Indo-Pak conflict, an official said here.

The directives were issued after a meeting with senior Indian Navy officials regarding enhancing coastal surveillance, he told PTI on Friday.

The state government is also trying to ensure that most fishing boats are equipped with transponders so that their locations can be tracked.

Authorities have identified two locations near the Palghar coast — north of Mumbai — where fishermen routinely gather and asked them not to assemble there, the government official said.

"We have also urged fishermen to work as eyes and ears for naval security and alert authorities about any suspicious activity at sea," he said.

The Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai in November 2008 had hijacked an Indian fishing boat and used it to enter the country's waters without raising suspicion.

Even today, several fishing boats from Palghar district are in the possession of Pakistani maritime authorities after they were seized for allegedly entering that country's waters, and they can be misused, the official said.

He said fishermen have been asked to inform authorities immediately if they spot any such missing boat.