In a first, Tamil Nadu gets Home Ministry's nod to give satellite phones to deep sea fishermen

Fisheries department said all three types of gadgets will be supplied to fishermen free of cost on a pilot scale, but once they prove their utility, all vessels will be mandated to install them.
Deep-sea fishermen are at the mercy of the sea, and good communication systems can be life-saving. (File Photo)
Deep-sea fishermen are at the mercy of the sea, and good communication systems can be life-saving. (File Photo)

CHENNAI: Overcoming security concerns, Tamil Nadu managed to get the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s nod for distribution of satellite phones to deep sea fishing vessels. Tamil Nadu is the first State in the country to procure satellite phone for its fishermen.

The first consignment of 21 satellite phones were received by state fisheries department from BSNL, but were not distributed pending clearance from MHA. “The matter was taken up at the highest level. Our Chief Secretary wrote to Secretary of MHA and Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The home ministry gave in-principle clearance and an official gazette notification is expected shortly after which there will be no bar on use of satellite phones by fishermen,” Fisheries director GS Sameeran told Express.

To a query, he said fishermen are eyes and ears of Indian military when it comes to any suspicious activity in open seas. “We have taken them into confidence. The MHA also had apprehensions initially on likelihood of these satellite phones being misused. But, we are putting in place necessary security mechanism like firewalls. We will know their exact location,” he said and added that Department of Telecommunication and TRAI gave positive recommendation to MHA.

Meanwhile, Antrix Corporation, a commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has delivered 200 units of NavIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) receivers. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will be distributing them to deep sea fishermen on Monday. “I have ordered for another 40 units, which will be delivered in another two weeks. ISRO is manufacturing them. They will be given to fishermen in clusters. The receivers will be fixed in the vessels and using bluetooth connectivity, fishermen will get all IMD and INCOIS alerts on their smart phones,” the official said.

NavIC is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from the shore. It will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. So, fishermen can stay connected up to 1,500 km from the shore without internet or tower connectivity.

Meanwhile, 160 units of NavTex are being imported from a South Korean company. These gadgets transmit messages using medium frequency waves up to 200 to 300 nautical miles into the sea. “The suggestion to use NavTex came from Indian Coast Guard (ICG). All ICG ships have NavTex. It’s an easy way of one-way communication amidst heavy weather. Services of Directorate-General of Light Houses (DGLL) will be used to transmit messages. We have requested the supplier to customise the messages in Tamil and were successful. Maps of India is helping us in interfacing,” the official said.

Fisheries department said all three types of gadgets will be supplied to fishermen free of cost on a pilot scale, but once they prove their utility, all vessels will be mandated to install them. “Necessary training for the fishermen is being given. The equipment will be in the custody of harbour management committees, headed by fishermen,” officials said.

Overall, the State government has given administrative sanction for 3.10 crore to the Director of Fisheries towards procurement and supply of communication equipment. Chief Secretary’s control room, CRA, Director Fisheries and four harbour management committees of Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Nagapattinam, Chennai, as well as district collectorates of 13 coastal districts will also be provided with satellite phones, officials said.

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