Fallout of Gujarat coastguard chase: Mumbai's private yacht parties under scanner

A week after the Gujarat coast incident where an alleged Pakistani terrorists’ boat blew up under suspicious circumstances, the Maharashtra government has decided to de-congest the Gateway of India from where private boats operate. Concerned about coastal security, private boats and yachts will need permission from Maharashtra Maritime Board to run services. [caption id=“attachment_1289065” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative Image[/caption] “Private boat parties off the Mumbai coast could become the focus of security agencies, as the most intense crackdown on yachts and vessels off the Gateway of India could begin soon, making registration of private boats/yachts extremely stringent and restricting the traffic movement by putting it under surveillance of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, " Mid Day reported today. The city police also barred parties on cruise ships, boats or yachts as part of New Year’s celebration for the first time after 2008. Last year, the police did give permission but only on the condition that they get prior sanction from the excise department. So far, the private boats operating from the Gateway have an affiliation with the Colaba Yacht Club. Now, the government is going to make them compulsorily seek approval from the Maharashtra Maritime Board. The move has been taken to bring some control over the private water transport that does not come under the government directly. Currently a search is underway for the wreckage of the mysterious boat, which exploded after being hunted down by the Indian Coast Guard in the Arabian Sea, as also the bodies of its four occupants, which will be crucial for investigators to reach a conclusion about their intent. According to an IBN Live report, the Pakistani boat that was blown up near the Porbandar port on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 was Lashkar-e-Taiba operated. Sources told the channel that  the boat took the same route as the 26/11 terrorists Ajmal Kasab and others in Kuber did in 2008. Four men on the boat were paid by Lashkar handlers to execute the operation.