Bengaluru: Karnataka, along with other maritime states, has been put on high alert after an alleged Pakistani fishing boast blew itself in the Arabian Sea near Porbander in Gujarat after it was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft and asked it to stop for further investigation on January 1.
Karnataka has a 320-km long coastline and surveillance has been stepped up following the alert. According to official sources, the coastline is regularly being patrolled by the coastal police, coast guard and Navy and the capabilities to intercept enemy movement in the sea are “better”, post the 26/11 Mumbai carnage but gathering actionable Intelligence continues to remain a weak point, said an official source. The biggest source of ground Intelligence is from the fishing community, which is being sensitised on keeping vigil on the coast. “There needs to be a sense of accountability. They are biggest stakeholders of the coast. It is their lifeline,” said the officer.
There are nearly one lakh fishermen in Karnataka and the government has issued smart (ID) cards to over 70,000 fishermen. “Another 5,000 cards are under process of completion and the balance will be issued soon. Boats are also being registered. Over 7,000 outboard motorised boats (OMBs) and 3,500 mechanised boats or trawlers have been registered,” said an official source.
The Centre had instructed the maritime states to issue smart cards to its fishermen’s community and register all the boats to prevent a repeat of 26/11.
