Udupi: Search operations are still on for the missing fishing boat ‘Suvarna Tribhuja’, which went missing with eight fishermen on board.
The boat went missing off Goa coast on December 15.
Yashpal Suvarna, President of D.K. and Udupi district Sahakari Fish Marketing Federation, speaking to media persons here on Friday, said that the fishing boat left for fishing from Malpe Fishing Harbour on December 13. The last communication from the boat was on December 15. Since then the search operations are on for the missing fishing boat.
e said that the Coast Guard had launched a search for the fishing boat and there had been no conclusive information about the issue till date. He opined that though the local fishermen firmly believe that this may be a case of pirates or terrorists at s hijacking the boat, Suvarna said that it is hard to conclude on these lines.
He said that since the boat had gone missing off Goa coast, the matter had already been brought to the notice of the Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and D V Sadananda Gowda. Sitharaman had directed the Coast Guard and Indian Navy to search for the missing boat. A team of 15 fishermen had already left from Malpe and was coordinating with the Coastal Security Police in the search for the missing fishermen, he said.
Yaspal Suvarna said that Fisheries Minister Venkatarao Nadagowda should have visited the families of the missing fishermen. The Coastal Security Police in the state consisted mostly of police staff from other districts and it was evident that they had little idea of the sea. Therefore, there should be reservation of 10% for youth from the coastal districts in the Coastal Security Police as they had a better idea of the sea and its conditions, he said.
