The Central government has asked private port operators along the Arabian coast to maintain strict security protocol declared by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
In a recent communication to the State governments and operators, the Centre asked operators to ensure coastal security by following the standard operating procedure. “We have received the Central advisory and directed port operators to prepare a contingency plan for the respective ports and submit it to the Coast Guard and the district administration for approval at the earliest,” a State government official said.
The advisory said several port operators are not following the security protocol along the Arabian coast. The Maharashtra government in a meeting on May 16 had demanded that all operators and stakeholders strictly follow compliance of security measures. “At the meeting, all port operators were asked to fix a timeline with the required equipment to combat oil spill as well,” the official said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had, along with Indian Navy, recently declared 20 ports in Raigad as sensitive, and made the information public in the Assembly. Of the 591 ports in the State, 20 in Raigad district have been categorised as sensitive by the Navy. The naval inspection also recommended that security around these ports be beefed up, Mr. Fadnavis told the Assembly.
Officials confirmed that the State has been trying to improve security around 90 ports.
These were also part of the Union Home Ministry’s Ram Pradhan Committee report, which had recommended measures to make ports and wharfs safer following the 26/11 terror strikes. The panel had also recommended security protocols for the ports, measures to record boat movements, and checking of licence and documents of fishermen among others, to improve security.
While the State fisheries department has registered fishing boats, nearly 72,000 biometric cards were yet to be distributed until 2017. According to official data, of the 2,11,857 fishermen, only half have been been given a card. About 91 sea wardens, who were to be deployed at an equal number of vulnerable points identified by the police, have also not been put in place, officials said.
