Questions are being raised about security and lack of measures in place for surveillance at the harbour after the latest incident of illegal ferrying of birdwatchers surfaced.
That the boat ferried the bird watchers into the deep sea operating from an area that was under the close observation of the territorial and marine police force is all the more disturbing from the security angle. And it is not a one-off incident.
A few years ago, security agencies stumbled upon a case of Sri Lankan refuges being ferried to Australia from the harbour after a boat carrying 152 refugees sailed into trouble at sea off a remote Australian island. Investigation revealed that the boat had left from the harbour here and ferrying of refugees was facilitated by local residents.
There have been complaints that some private boat operators used to ferry tourists into deep sea for dolphin sightings and adventure sport.
Sources in the police said the harbour had never been a priority in the eyes of the security establishment even after concerns were raised by people in the know. “Otherwise, how could 15 people get into a small boat during the day and venture into sea from the harbour,” asked a police source.
Director-General of Police S.K. Gautam said they would investigate whether boatmen operated illegal service for birdwatching and other tourism-related adventure activities.
“Now that it has come to our notice, all aspects will be looked into,” he said.