Braving the rough waves of the Arabian sea where cyclone Ockhi developed is not the only hazard that the Kerala Coastal Police aiding the fishermen in distress face.
Even as the operations to rescue the fishermen stuck at mid-sea continue, concern over a large number of fishermen without biometric smart cards has put the enforcement agencies literally at sea when it comes to ascertaining the actual number of fishermen stranded and their whereabouts.
‘‘A huge number of fishermen are entering the sea from Kerala coast without biometric cards. Even the native fishermen who possess the card do not often carry the original document with them, complicating things even further,’’ said a top officer of the coastal police.
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A study by the State police last year had found that as many as 1,914 registered and several unregistered fishing boats had plied through the Kochi back waters alone on a daily basis. The numbers would be even higher when all the fishing harbours from Chellanam to Munambam were taken together.
Further, the report had also pointed to acute staff shortage experienced by the Ports Department as well as the Marine Enforcement wing, entrusted to monitor the movement of vessels between the harbours and the deep sea.
‘‘While the issue of unregistered boats and colour-coding has been addressed to a great extend, concern over the fishermen on board still lingers on. In case of emergencies like this, we have no other option but to rely on the rough estimates available from the various harbours and the boat operators,’’ the officer said.
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Indeed, the department has raised the issue a few times during the biannual security review meeting convened by the Chief Secretary and attended by various stake-holder agencies, including the Navy and the Coast Guard.
Confirming the trend, P. Vijayan, Inspector General of Police, attributed the issue to the large-scale presence of inter-State migrant workers on board. ‘‘Majority of the boat owners, in quest of cheap labour, are deploying people having no biometric cards and even without verifying their credentials. This creates hassles during emergencies such as rough weather conditions or mid-sea collisions,’’ he said.
A recent study by the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development noted the substantial presence of fishermen from five Indian States such as West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in Kerala’s marine fishing sector. Most of these migrant fishers are hired through their social network and their payment depends directly on the share of the catch.