Kendrapara: Sea surveillance during the upcoming Olive Ridley turtle nesting season at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is likely to be severely affected as most of the interceptor vessels remain defunct and unrepaired, wildlife activists have alleged. The eco-friendly interceptor vessels Gahirmatha-I and Gahirmatha-II equipped with advanced safety and monitoring systems, were procured from Mumbai-based Mahindra Marine Limited to protect endangered Olive Ridley turtles and curb illegal trawling during the nesting season. In 2016, the state government provided two high-speed, technology-based interceptor vessels to the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
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However, both Gahirmatha-I and Gahirmatha-II have since developed technical snags and are lying idle. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in-charge Ranger Kalipendra Pradhan said the engines of both vessels were manufactured in Japan, and spare parts are not available locally or in other states. “A three-member team from IIT-Kharagpur visited last year to repair the engines but failed to restore them,” he added.
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