AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
PANJIM: Sixteen years after the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008, where 175 people lost their lives, nine of them being terrorists, the Goa Coast Guard says there is no need to fear of any repeats but the fishermen of the state, called “eyes and ears” of the Goan coastline, and people living along the coastline feel vulnerable.
The State Police however doesn’t feel so. “The Coast Guard has one patrol boat and five smaller boats and we have personnel at all seven coastal stations. Coastal security is coordinated by navy, coast guard, the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Coastal Police and hence watertight,” assured DGP Alok Kumar.
It may be recalled that the terrorists, reached Mumbai through the sea route part of the same coastline that joins Southern and Western India
“The fishermen are our eyes and ears and after exemplary results in the two exercises conducted by the Coast Guard and Indian Navy recently, there are no reasons to fear,” said Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Kumar.
Kumar’s confidence is not matched by the apprehensions in the mind of fishermen Francisco Fernandes- popularly known as Pele - who at times had to take the Coastal Security Police in his boats to intercept fishing boats straying from other States into Goan waters.
“I have been begging with the government for the last five years to buy boats that will help the police to protect us. The boats are not expensive but, instead of investing in boats, they prefer to spend on CCTV cameras,” moans Fernandes.
However, Raju Raut Desai, superintendent of coastal police had a surprising take on this by saying the Fisheries department must react if boats from neighbouring states cross onto Goan territory. “National security is our priority. Assisting fishermen is second and that is why if boats from neighbouring States trespass our territory it is the duty of the Fisheries department to react first,” said Desai, trying to explain the presence of coastal police in boats of local fishermen first.
“If the coastal police cannot stop infiltration by fishing boats from other States, how are we to believe they will be able to stop terrorists and with which boats are they going to do so,” asks fisherman Fernandes.
“Apart from one speed boat, the coastal police has five High Density (HD) boats which are placed at the mouths of the five rivers and all our seven coastal police stations are staffed,” assured Raju Raut Desai, superintendent of coastal police.
“They (the terrorists) reportedly told local Marathi-speaking fishermen, who asked them who they were, to “mind their own business” before they split up and went into two different ways. The fishermen’s subsequent report to the police department received little response and local police failed to act,” reads a report on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in the News Week dated November 27, 2008.
Ignoring intelligence reports, according to Vappala Balachandran, Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat - who was part of a two member high-level committee appointed by the Maharashtra government to inquire into police response on the attacks - was one of the key reasons that led to the dastardly act.
“I would like to discuss our readiness in a face-to-face interaction and not over the phone because any of our phones could be tapped,” said Commandant Akshay Jain of the Coast Guard in Goa.
“What happened in Mumbai was horrible, but I am not sure whether it cannot happen again because our coastal security is zero. If they cannot protect fishermen, how do we expect them to protect us from terrorists,” wondered fisherman Inacio Mascarenhas from Fatrade, as he was hauling his catch into a vehicle.
For villagers living along the Goan coast, many do not believe Goa is fully prepared.
“Our coastal police are a joke. Their boats are not functioning most of the time, the crew is inadequately trained and they do not take their task seriously,” believes retired captain Gerald Fernandes, living in Morjim.
In South Goa, fisherman Iris Castanha thinks, “We have jetties where police presence is zero. Anything can be brought in and unloaded and easily moved around. If they could land arms in Ratnagiri, Goa seems easier now.”