AT a time when sea voyages are increasingly becoming dangerous for fishermen of Jagatsinghpur, an initiative to provide them disaster alert transmitter (DAT) devices by the Coast Guard and Marine Fisheries Directorate, Government of Odisha, has not seen much headway. Cases of boat capsize have been on the rise for the last five years, particularly near Mahanadi river mouth in Paradip. At least five fishermen have gone missing in the last two years after their boats capsized at Mahanadi river mouth and Nehrubangla sea stretch. In June last year, a fishing trawler Sreekhetra- 5′ had capsized in Mahanadi river mouth in which one fisherman, Madhabananda Mohanty, had died. Two other fishermen – Kailash Parida and Kathia Majhi – who had gone missing then, are yet to be found. In July the same year, another boat had capsized at the same spot but fortunately, four fishermen managed to swim to the shore. In 2011, India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had developed these devices to make sea voyages safe and hassle-free for fishermen. The device has round-the-clock satellite link and in case of emergency, the fishermen can use the device to contact maritime rescue coordination centre and seek guidance. The user-friendly transmitter would provide information such as exact position of the distressed fishing vessel and nature of the distress via satellite image to the Coast Guard’s rescue coordination centre. The devices serve the dual purpose of strengthening the coastal security and helping fishermen who are in danger. Since 2011, only 160 fishing vessels have been equipped with these gadgets. The Paradip fishing hub has 559 deep-sea trawlers and 955 less-improvised motorised vessels that venture into the sea for over 13 nautical miles for fishing. Assistant Director of Fisheries (Marine) Biraja Mohapatra said of the 559 trawlers, DATs have been provided to only 160 fishing vessels. Efforts are on to provide DATs to 105 vessels soon, he added.
2016, The New Indian Express.