Coast Guard Act amendment Bill put on hold

NEW DELHI, Aug 15: While some thought they were too Draconian other believed them to be infringing upon fishing rights and thus the navalisation of the Coast Guard has come a cropper with the Coast Guard Amendment Bill, 1996 failing last week to clear the doubts of the nation8217;s law makers.

Cleared by the successive cabinets of P V Narasimha Rao and H D Deve Gowda, as well as the Standing Committee on Defence 1996-97, the Bill was tabled on 22 April in the Rajya Sabha. But last week, doubtful members of the Rajya Sabha prevailed upon the Minister of State for Defence, NVN Somu, to send it to a House Select Committee.

The thrust of the amendment bill is to make the Coast Guard Act, 1978, in unison with those of the armed forces. Raised in 1978 the service is conceptually8217; based on the Border Security Force but patterned8217; on the Navy.

The act governing the service is also an amalgam8217; of the BSF Act, 1968, and the Navy Act, 1957. This duality has created problems for the Coast Guard, particularly in matters regarding discipline. And for a service tasked with counter-smuggling, laxity in enforcing discipline is exacting a price.