Police to keep an eye on yacht owners on New Year's eve

Following tip-offs that yacht owners might organise New Year parties mid-sea on the night of December 31, the Yellow Gate police wrote letters to the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and Colaba police station on Friday, requesting them to deny any party-related permission to yacht owners for security reasons.

After the 26/11 attacks, the police had denied permission to yacht owners to organise parties in the sea on December 31 this year.

Yachts are allowed into the sea after sunset and before sunrise for sporting events. But authorities suspect that yachts may venture into the sea on Saturday on the pretext of hosting a sporting event and conduct clandestine celebrations.

“We have written to the Colaba police and port trust authorities as their permissions are required to venture into the sea, and have requested them not to give any permission for parties mid-sea. We have communicated to them that we have received inputs that yachts might indulge in such activities on the night of December 31,” said senior police inspector Pandurang Dhoke from the Yellow Gate police station.

There are around 140 yachts docked at the Gateway of India and the capacity is 15 to 20 people in each yacht. On Thursday, a yacht owner tried to seek permission for a New Year party, but his request was turned down by the Yellow Gate police.

“Checking will be done on the west and east coasts. Launches and speed boats will be patrolling the sea and all the five landing points that fall within the jurisdiction of Yellow Gate police will be manned intensively,” said another officer.