By IANS,
Thane : Fishermen in Thane’s Dahanu coastal area will be given distress alert transmitters, developed by India’s space agency, to help them in case of emergency when in the high seas, an official said Sunday.
The Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT), considered a lifesaving device, will be distributed in Dahanu town Tuesday (June 28) in the presence of top ranking officials from the police, the fisheries and the environment departments.
The devices have been developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and are expected to help in the safety and security of fishermen in the high seas.
The device is simple and easy to operate. After a fisherman activates the DAT, the alert will be transmitted by a satellite on a particular frequency band and relayed to the ICG-Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre(MRCC).
The DAT has separate buttons to indicate various emergencies liken a fire on board, a medical emergency, a man overboard and capsizing of the vessel.
In case any of any emergency the crew has to press the appropriate button and the DAT emits a relevant signal which is transmitted through a satellite to the ICG-MRCC.
The ICG-MRCC would respond quickly based on the type of the emergency indicated by the signal and deploy a helicopter, a boat or divert a ship in the vicinity of the signal to help the distressed vessel.
Devised on the lines of the Global Positioning System, the DAT costs Rs.10,000 per piece, but will be distributed free to the fishing community, the official said.
After Dahanu, the officials would consider handing them over to fishing folks in other coastal districts like Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
The DAT is expected to be of great use during the monsoon and stormy weather conditions.