A special workshop on search and rescue was organised by the Indian Coast Guard for fishermen and officers of various enforcement agencies here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the programme, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Vigilance) Subrata Biswas stressed the need to equip fishing boats with safety equipment. “We cannot afford to wait for another cyclone. It is important that we procure all the necessary gear to prevent the loss of lives in the future,” he said.
About 175 people, including fishermen and personnel from the Coastal Police, Marine Enforcement, Kerala Fire & Rescue Services and Fisheries Department took part in the workshop. The programme was aimed at sensitising fishermen to contact the nearest Coast Guard station in case of any distress at sea.
DIG Sanatan Jena, Commander, Indian Coast Guard (Kerala and Mahe), Commandant V.K. Varghese and Deputy Commandant George Baby were among those who participated in the workshop. The participants were given lessons in handling life jackets, life buoys, beacons, search and rescue transponder, emergency position indicating radio beacon and the distress alert transmitter.
