Following frequent instances of fishing crews from Maharashtra and Gujarat being arrested for accidentally crossing international maritime boundaries, a Mumbai-based digital firm and an NGO have come up with a device that will send out an alert when they enter international waters. Trouble-prone areas Palghar MP Chintaman Wanga said such incidents are mostly noticed near Porbandar, Verawal and other parts of Gujarat, where fisher workers enter Pakistani waters and get into trouble. The project came about after NGO Work in India approached Kinetic India, a city-based digital firm to find a way to save fisher workers from this ordeal. During our research, we saw that most used a mukhota (mask)’ on their boats to ward off evil, and hence we came up with the name Mukhota, said Salim Mulla, member, Work in India. The Mukhota is GPS-enabled and coded in such a way that once it comes near the coastal border, it sends out an alert. The digital firm has already tested the device and distributed 1,500 such sets free of charge to fisher workers on a trial basis. We read several reports on fisher workers going missing at sea and took it as a challenge to do something that could save lives, said Mr. Mulla. Financial aid The NGO has sought financial aid from the Maharashtra government to provide the device at a subsidised cost. For now, each device costs Rs 5,000 but after receiving the grant, the cost will be reduced and be made more affordable, said Mr. Mulla. The Gujarat government has shown interest in the project and a meeting has been arranged with the Gujarat Maritime Board in June, he added. MP pledges support Chintaman Wanga, the MP from Palghar, said it is a good concept for fisher workers. With the new technology, they would get a clear idea of their location and not get arrested, said Mr. Wanga. I will take up the issue with the Maharashtra Maritime Board and the State government to speed up the process of subsidising the devices, he said.
2016, The Hindu