The decision of the Lakshadweep Administration to deploy government officials on board fishing vessels under the garb of stepping up coastal surveillance speaks of lack of trust in fishers, and is among the latest of Centre’s undue interventions made in the life of islanders, Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal has said.
The Navy and Coast Guard already have considerable presence in the islands. The Navy has establishments in Minicoy and Kavaratti, while the Kavaratti-based Coast Guard has a radar system that is capable of tracking almost the entire coast of the islands. Thus, deploying government officials in fishing vessels did not have any rationale, he said. The two forces had already created awareness among fishers to report any suspicious activity that they encountered along the coast or while in the sea, Mr. Faizal told The Hindu over phone. He drew parallels between the latest decision and the one to implement Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act in Lakshadweep.
