Despite the government claims of undertaking various measures, including joint exercises, to make Kerala coast safer, the lack of infrastructure provided to the Coastal Police indicates the apathy of the government in ensuring coastal security.
Even three years after its inception, the Coastal Police in Kochi are left with the same infrastructure it had at the time of its launch. The three boats owned by the coastal police were brought with the central government’s provisions.
According to the personnel with the Coastal Police, they are facing hardships in their daily patrolling activities. “We have to patrol upto five nautical miles with just three boats - two 12 tonne boats and one 5 tonne boat. None of them are capable of reaching upto five nautical miles off the sea.
Besides, these boats require frequent maintenance which is rarely done. Adding to the woes, the 12-ton boat is under repair leaving just two boats fit for usage,” the police official said.
The boats can only be repaired by the Goan Shipyard where they were manufactured.
“We have informed the authorities of Goan Shipyard. We hope that the engineers from Goa will arrive soon to fix the boat. Besides, maintenance work of the other boats can also be done ,” said Ramesh, Sub-Inspector, Fort Kochi Coastal Police Station. He added that compared to other states, our boats need to be more technologically updated.
Another senior official said the major problem is that boats run on a Jet Propulsion System which breaks down when operated on the murky waters of Arabian Sea.
In several instances, the police officials were stuck in the mid sea and had to be rescued by the other security agencies. The risk factor is quite high especially when the sea is rough and turbulent. Even the wireless sets are not powerful enough to be used while moving through far distance at the sea. The government had decided to regulate the activities of Marine Enforcement wing of Fisheries Department after setting up the Coastal Police.
However, even after three years, the Coastal Police have to depend on Marine Enforcement wing for the rescue and operation activities during monsoon.
“The operation of coastal police is yet to become full-fledged. Still, the major portion of patrolling and enforcement activities is being carried out by the Coast Guard and Navy. To strengthen the Coastal Police, the wing has to be provided with more powerful boats and advanced gadgets,” the official said.
The Coastal Police station at Fort Kochi has the longest territorial borders stretching from Thottappally to Beypore. “With two boats, it is impossible to patrol the vast area. Though there was proposal to start new police stations at Ponnani, Kottakal and Chettua, nothing has happenned yet. After each coastal exercise, the proposal is repeated,” a senior official said.