BSF jawans patrol the Brahmaputra on a speedboat at Maslabari outpost near Dhubri on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, June 15: The Assam police are leaving no stone unturned to guard the Brahmaputra waterway by strengthening its river patrol wing.

As a part of this move, the river police have decided to procure 10 fibreglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) speedboats to conduct effective patrolling along the sensitive river routes and riverine areas of the state. A police source said the state government has decided to give more teeth to the river police considering the heightened threat perception after the Mumbai attacks when terrorists chose the sea route to sneak into the country.

Hamstrung by the lack of their own boats, the river police are forced to conduct patrolling by hiring country boats which is grossly inadequate to maintain constant vigil on the river routes and riverine stretches in the state.

According to the source, the Assam police headquarters has already invited bids from manufacturers or their authorised dealers having Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) certification and the deal is likely to be sealed shortly.

The speedboats the police propose to procure will have a 25HP single engine with a capacity to carry eight to 10 persons. Each boat will cost between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh.

As per the plan, each speedboat will also be equipped with life-saving equipment such as life buoys, jackets, fire extinguishers and the like.

The police source said the procurement of modern speedboats could go a long way in making the river routes secure, which are not only used by militants to ferry arms and explosives but also by antisocials.

“Illegal migrants from Bangladesh are also taking the river routes to sneak into the country. Moreover, there have been reports of growing activities of fundamentalist organisations in the riverine areas of lower Assam,” he added.

The Assam police created the River Police Organisation in 1960 primarily for the prevention and detection of crime and illegal migrants in riverine areas.

At present, there are four river police stations and six river police outposts in the state with a strength of around 122 personnel in different ranks.

The four river police stations are located in Goalpara, Sualkuchi, Tezpur and Biswanath and the six outposts are located at Aye and Majeralga in Bongaigaon district, Chanderdinga and Mahamaya in Dhubri district, Beki in Barpeta district and Nagarbera in Kamrup district.

The procurement of speedboats is likely to throw a lifeline to the river police, which is virtually defunct with not even a single boat of its own despite being entrusted with the duty of guarding the river routes.