Commandant M. Venkatesan, Station Commander, Mandapam Station of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), has exhorted fishermen to carry distress alert transmitters (DAT) to get timely assistance when they are in distress while fishing on the high seas.
Addressing a ‘Rural media workshop’, organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Chennai, here on Thursday, he said the ICG had distributed the DATs to local fishermen and they should carry them along with their very high frequency (VHF) sets when they set out for fishing.
The easy-to-operate DAT had four buttons for alerting the ICG personnel in case of seawater entering their boats, fire, breakdown and for any other help. Once they pressed the specific button, the ICG personnel in the vicinity would rush to their help with full preparedness, he said.
In the VHF sets, the fishermen should maintain channel 16 for communication with fellow fishermen and ICG personnel. “It is an unwritten law to maintain channel 16 on the high seas,” he said. The DATs and maintenance of channel 16 in the VHF sets would help save their lives and vessels when they were in distress, he said.
Pointing that at least four persons were dependent on every fisherman, he said the ICG personnel while saving the life of a fisherman also saved the lives of four others. In the Community Interaction Programme (CIP) the ICG explained to fishermen safe fishing practices and taught them how to operate life saving devices. The personnel attached to Mandapam Station of the ICG were always available for help in their Area of Responsibility (AOR), he said.
The ICG also protected 21 islands in the Gulf of Mannar and kept a vigil to prevent smuggling. In a brief interaction, Mr Venkatesan termed as false the reports that Sri Lankan Navy personnel entered the Indian waters and chased away fishermen. Assistant Commandant S. Sankar made a power point presentation on the activities of the ICG.
