‘Shores safer with speedboats’

Two bulletproof speedboats will now enhance the security of the 124-km Mumbai coastline. Acquired at Rs5 crore, the two are the first set of speedboats ordered after the 26/11 attacks.

The boats — Koyna worth Rs3.5 crore and Kaveri worth Rs1.5 crore — were inaugurated by police commissioner D Sivanandhan at the Gateway of India on Tuesday.

“The new boats will help maintain round-the-clock vigil along the coastline,” said Sivanandhan.

The 13-metre-long Koyna has been allotted to the Mumbai Sagari police and the nine-metre-long Kaveri has been given to the Yellow Gate police station.

The coastal police currently have 10 boats to guard the coastline. Three of these boats are used for joint patrolling by the police and customs, one is dysfunctional and one lies standby for VIP visits. “The boats we have now are slow. We would gradually replace the old boats with these new speedboats,” Sivanandhan said.

When asked if the new boats are enough to ensure tight coastal security, Sivanandhan said the city needed at least 50.

“The state government has ordered 30 new boats which are expected in October. Of that, Mumbai will get at least six, while the rest will go to other regions,” he said.