Faced with an increasing threat perception along Maharashtra’s coasts, the state government has decided to make it mandatory for luxury yachts and barges to register with the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).
The government will start an awareness drive and put up hoardings at important locations and jetties warning owners of consequences if their vessels are not registered with the MMB. The warning signs will be put up at places such as the Gateway of India and berthing facilities of the Mumbai Port Trust in south Mumbai.
Chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya said, “We have been asking these luxury yachts to register with the MMB so that the government can keep a record of the vessels and boats sailing out of Mumbai. Now, if any non-registered vessel or yacht is found at the berthing facilities, we will take penal action against them.”
The government is in the process of issuing biometric cards to fishermen, registering yachts and boats and building police stations along the state’s 700-km coastline. The measures are being put in place based on the recommendations of an expert panel set up to suggest measures to strengthen coastal security following the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008.
The work of issuing biometric cards to fishermen is almost complete. “We have issued biometric cards to 70 per cent of the fishermen and aim to complete the exercise in the next two months,” Kshatriya said.
