Jaimala, Women and Child Development Minister, said on Friday that both the State government and the district administration were making all efforts to trace the fishing boat, Suvarna Tribhuja, which went missing off the Goa coast on December 15.
In a press release issued here, Ms. Jaimala said that on getting the information of the missing boat, the Coastal Security Police, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Fisheries were alerted. A direction was issued to form a task force of all the departments concerned to take up the search operations. They were told to take the help of the Navy if necessary.
Widespread search operations were going on in Goa and Maharashtra also. Discussions were going on to check the possibility of roping in the Army for conducting search operations in the sea and also the ports of Maharashtra.
Home Minister M.B. Patil will visit Udupi to check the progress on Saturday. In a separate press release, Shobha Karandlaje, MP, said that the efforts to trace the missing boat had intensified and even the Defence Ministry was in the loop.
She met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, on this issue. Ms. Sitharaman had directed the Coast Guard and Indian Navy to intensify efforts to trace the boat, she said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mattar Rathnakar Hegde, president of district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that 20 days after the fishing boat went missing the State government had not taken any proactive steps to trace it.
Speaking separately, Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Pejawar Mutt said that he was ready to go to Delhi in any delegation on this issue.
Special prayers
Special prayers were offered at the Sayyadeen Abubakar Siddik Jamia Masjid at Malpe Friday seeking the safe return of the seven fishermen.
