KOCHI: With Sri Lanka reeling under severe economic crisis, Kerala has put its entire coast on high alert to prevent people from the island nation infiltrating into the state. Coastal Security Inspector General P Vijayan said patrolling has been intensified. More than 350 beat teams have been deployed for round-the-clock surveillance.
“Special units are keeping a watch on the fishing boats that operate from the coast. We are also coordinating with the fishing community to monitor if any boats are engaging in suspicious activities in the coastal waters,” said Vijayan.
Coastal Security AIG J Jayanath said the force was coordinating with vigilant groups comprising fishermen across the state and any attempt by unidentified boats to anchor near the coast will be thwarted. “We are also keeping an eye on Tamil Nadu-registered fishing boats that enter the state’s coast,” he said.
Officials said though the TN government has shown some leniency towards the Sri Lankans who sneak into Indian coast, Kerala stands firm in preventing infiltration as the Union government has not issued any direction so far.“Any infiltration attempt will be dealt with as per law and trespassers will be arrested,” the official said.
The state’s special branch, meanwhile, has started collecting inputs on the rackets that are likely to exploit the Sri Lankans by promising them to take them to countries like Australia and New Zealand in boats.
“We are keeping a close watch,” said a senior intelligence officer.