Navi Mumbai Police now relies on two rented trawlers after seven high-speed boats become defunct

Mumbai: The security of coastal areas in Navi Mumbai is at god’s mercy. All the seven high-speed boats available with Navi Mumbai Police are inoperative and the force relies on two rented trawlers to patrol the coastal areas.

These high-speed boats were purchased 8 to 10 years ago. However, over a long-drawn period, in absence of upkeep, all seven are defunct and lying idle at different jetties, including at Ulwe jetty.

The Navi Mumbai police are responsible for protecting the 144-km coastal area, which includes a 44-km creek from Airoli to Vashi and a 62-km deep sea coastal belt.

The police said these boats were operational till 2018; however, one of them is beyond repair now, while the others are being restored.Navi Mumbai police commissioner Bipin Kumar Singh confirmed that the repair of two high-speed boats is underway and these will be operational in a few months.The state government had sanctioned these boats to check illegal activities like sand mining, oil smuggling and also eliminate any terrorist threats across the coastal areas. During monsoon, these boats are stationed at strategic locations to keep a vigil on any suspicious activity along the coastal areas.In 2019, the Navi Mumbai police had received two trawlers on rent that are being used at two strategic locations. Although the speed of these two trawlers is less, they have the capacity to carry more people.

In 2016, there was a combing operation in Uran after students noticed suspicious activity in the vicinity which the Navi Mumbai police had overlooked. Apart from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT), one of the busiest ports in the country, the world heritage site of Elephanta Caves along the coastal area fall under the Navi Mumbai police jurisdiction.