CAG critizes Guj for hiring low speed boats for sea patrolling

Gandhinagar, Apr 2 (UNI) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) came down heavily on the Gujarat Government for hiring low speed and ill equipped boats for patrolling in the state territorial waters to check the activities of terrorists and anti-nationals in the Arabian sea.

In its report, the CAG said after the Mumbai serial blasts in 1993, it was decided by the Union Government to undertake joint coastal patrolling by Navy with Armed police and representatives of Customs and Coast guards on the Gujarat territorial waters and coastal line to curb infiltration of inimical forces as well as prevent smuggling of arms/explosives across the border, particularly through sea-route.

The cost of acquiring the fleet of trawlers of the required specification was to be reimburse by the Union government.

The CAG report said it was found that two fishing boats, each of below specifications having less speed, were hired by the Gujarat police.

The low speed fishing boats of below specifications, however, unabled to intercept the high capacity speed-boats used by terrorists and other criminals and ''thereby made the whole excercise futile.'' The Union Government reimbursed Rs 24.61 crore to the Gujarat Government between 1993 and 2005 towards the expanses, the report said.

''Besides security peril, utilisation of below specification fishing boats for costal patrolling resulted in unfruitful expenditure of Rs 24.61 crore,'' the CAG observed. But the state government disputed and stated, ''the activity was preventive in nature and could help indirectly in curbing and controlling crime and therefore the expenditure cannot be treated as unfruitful''.

The CAG report said the reply of the state government was not tenable as the state intelligence Bureau in their five year prespective plan on coastal security, had noted the low speed and ill equipped fishing trawlers could not cope with the speedy boats used by the anti-nationals and the patrolling was totally ''ineffective'' and expenses were unproductive.

UNI