Wireless sets distributed to guard against cyclones

PANJIM, OCT 4
The wireless sets that connect fishermen through radar to the jetty are suddenly in fashion in what seems to be an effort to ward off the bad memories left behind by Phyan Cyclone.
Garmin Marine Safety Device, a product of an American company, has been hugely in demand after government floated the scheme providing financial help to procure these gadgets.
Goa had lost around 69 fishermen to Phyan, which had hit Goa coast in last November.
State Fisheries Department said that 190 Garmin marine devises are already distributed to trawler owners at Malim and Cutbona jetties. And 200 fresh proposals from other fishing jetties are sent to the Central Government.
Fisheries Director S C Verenkar said that they expect more proposals in the coming days.
“Trawler owners earlier were either not aware of the scheme or some of them who did know, lacked financial backing. However, nobody wants to take a chance…they prefer spending for safety rather than bearing huge loses in case of any eventualities,” he said.
The jetty members say that they do not want devastation of lives and properties like the one caused by Cyclone Phyan in November 2009.
The safety device kit comprises of Global Positioning System (GPS), Very High Frequency (VHF) wireless sets and fish finders.
 The kits under the scheme – supply of safety equipments under development of marine fisheries – are supplied by Mega Soft Pvt Ltd, which is the authorized dealer of Garmin Equipments in Goa.
The central Government had announced supplying safety equipments to fishermen soon after the 2009 disaster.
The 90-lakhs scheme was announced to fishermen across the coastal states, the Government asserted to endure 75 percent of the total expense of the kit, each of which costs about Rs 70,000. Whereas, remaining 25 percent have to be borne by each of the trawler owners.
Each of the system help trace location of its trawler boats, communicate immediately without any hindrance and spot deep sea fish, respectively.
However, important equipment ‘distress alert transmitter’ is yet to find its place even though Union government approved to distribute among fishermen. Fisheries officials were not in a position to explain why the system is not procured yet.
Nonetheless, Deputy Director N Verlekar said that the department has set up a control room, which transmits any cyclone or weather warning from the weather department to all fishing jetties across the state.
Nearly 8,500 fishermen, majority of whom belong from South and Eastern parts of the country are employed on several fishing vessels at different fish landing jetties. Out of total 1156 registered with the department, around 850 are in operation.