Even as a section of fishermen opposes the requirement to make Aadhaar cards mandatory for deep-sea fishing, the Fisheries department officials made it clear that the directive would have to be implemented due to heightened coastal security measures by the Central and State governments to combact drug trafficking and prevent infiltration of terror operatives.
All the security forces, including Coast Guard, Navy, Marine enforcement squads and Coastal police, would be verifying compliance with the latest safety instructions during their routine sea patrols. Imposing a fine up to ₹1,000 against the violators is under consideration .
“There is no point in rasing objections as this is a major security initiative and fishers can easily comply with it for their own safety. The instruction comes in the wake of security alerts from various intelligence wings and government departments,” said Fisheries Deputy Director P.V. Satheesan. He added that the increasing number of migrant workers was another factor for prioritising its implementation to ensure easy identification.
Though there were plans to issue biometric cards to all fishers, the project was dropped midway due to technical issues. Only a few fishermen were able to secure the cards, which are not mandatory now for fishing activities. Officials said the QR code in Aadhaar cards would make the verification process easy for all security wings during their flash inspections.
Fisheries department officials said the new rule would be helpful for all emergency rescue operations. It would also hold boat owners responsible for maintaining records of fishermen working under them and hand it over to the authorities in case of any emergency requirement, they added.
Members of some fishermen organisations called upon the State government and enforcement units to consider the copies of Aadhaar cards during the inspection as keeping the original could be risky during fishing. Though Fisheries department officials were reportedly in favour of considering the demand, security agencies cited the chances of forgery. Coastal police sources said the decision of the State government would be crucial for making any change.
Published - January 18, 2024 08:18 pm IST
