Bought at a cost of Rs 125 crore, the 38 interceptors cannot sail in the rough seas during the rainy season
Bought at a cost of Rs 125 crore, the 38 interceptors cannot sail in the rough seas during the rainy season
BESIDES holding the promise of rain, the looming monsoon clouds could very well signal the onset of another wave of 26/11-like terror attacks that could crash on the city's shores.
Two of the police patrol boats, during their launch in 2009
For, nearly 38 high-speed interceptors, which were procured at a cost of Rs 125 crore and hold the key to apprehending terrorists who dare to venture within five nautical miles of the city, will be out of commission till September because of the rains.
The boats, say policemen, have been docked because it is too risky to operate them when the waves are high, like they are in the monsoon.
This leaves the area of five nautical miles from Mumbai's coast to be patrolled only by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, whose boats are bulky and largely incapable of patrolling the shallow waters found here.
The 38 interceptors, of the sanctioned strength of 58, are equipped with light machine guns and other assorted weaponry and were deployed to keep the western coast safe from sea-borne terror attacks after 26/11.
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The fleet has, however, been docked till Nariyal Poornima, when the sea gets relatively calm.
MiD DAY has learnt that even fishermen, who were hired with their old trawlers to assist the police, have docked their boats due to the rough seas.
Special Inspector General of Police (Konkan Region) Param Bir Singh told MiD DAY that operating the fleet of interceptors during the monsoon season would be extremely risky for the vessels' crews.
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During the monsoons, the waves swell up to 5.7 meters or 'Sea 4' in Naval parlance.
Singh said, however, that patrolling on land has been intensified to compensate for the absence of patrol boats on the sea. Coastal police stations and beats have been strengthened to ensure that there are no attacks.
Terror exercises
A senior Coast Guard officer explained that there is a general consensus among security forces that the enemy will not attack when the sea is rough.
"But, the adversary will always try to spring a surprise like they had done on 26/11," he said.
Sources said that the Pakistani navy and terror groups have also been carrying out routine exercises in rough seas over the past few years.
Police spokesperson Nisar Tamboli was not available for comment. He did not reply to a text message from this reporter.
Rs 1.3 cr
Cost of a 9-metre high-speed bulletproof interceptor
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Rs 3.2 cr
Cost of its 12-metre version
STRENGTH
A senior police officer confirmed that the Mumbai Police has 20 interceptors available for patrolling. They are expected to patrol the stretch between Gorai in the north and Colaba in the south during fair weather.
The Konkan Police, on the other hand, has 18 interceptors to patrol 700 kilometers of coastline from Dahanu in the north to Sawantwadi, bordering Goa in the south. They should have been in possession of 28 high-speed patrol boats, which is their sanctioned strength. The number of vessels is likely to go up following the attack on the Pakistani Naval base in Mehran last month, said a defence source.
BOAT ORDERS
The Ministry of Home Affairs had sanctioned the purchase of 166 high-speed interceptors to protect western states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala after 26/11. 90-odd boats have been made available with six new boats being delivered to the states each month from various shipyards across the country.
The state government has also ordered 29 speedboats at a cost of Rs 250 crore. This is in addition to the 20 boats allotted to Maharashtra by the Centre.
HI-TECH
The new bulletproof speedboats mounted with light machine guns were procured by the district administration to patrol about 50 nautical miles on a daily basis. These boats can touch a speed of 45 knots per hour (around 70 kmph) and can intercept any unfriendly boat. Each of these speedboat carries six crew members, including a captain and a police gunner. Fitted with GPS navigation systems, these u00a0boats work in tandem with the navy and the coast guard.
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