KOLKATA: Senior officials of the Indian and Bangladeshi Coast Guards discussed issues pertaining to maintaining vigil along the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) between the two countries and cooperation during natural disasters like cyclones in the Bay of Bengal on Monday. This was the 4th regional/zonal commanders' meeting that was convened through video conferencing. The Indian side was represented by AK Harbola, inspector general and commander, coast guard region (North East) while commodore M Anwar Hossain, DDG, led the Bangladeshi delegation.
"The meeting was convened under the provisions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) signed between the two coast guards in 2015 and 2017. During the meeting, common maritime issues like sensitization of fishermen on cross border fishing, information sharing and capability building were discussed," a senior coast guard official said.
While the IMBL is well marked in modern navigation systems such as GPS, bad weather and the inclination to reach further for a better catch often drive fishermen across the maritime border. In the last several years, the two forces have worked in tandem to rescue fishermen in distress during cyclones or equipment failure. With common seRead More – Source
