Wednesday, December 21 2005 17:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mangalore: The Coast Guard is contemplating to set up an air station at Rathnagiri in Maharashtra, a top official of the force said today (Dec 21, 2005).

A spot has been identified and surveyed for the air station, Coast Guard (West) IG A Rajasekhar said here.

However, another air station has already been set up in Porbander in Gujarat, he added.

Speaking to reporters, he said the Coast Guard has requested the state governments to make registration of fishing boats mandatory.

He wanted the government not to issue licences to those boats, which do not have life-saving equipments.

Tamil Nadu government has already come forward to make the registration mandatory, he added.

"Though the smuggling activities by sea in Karnataka have scaled down, some nefarious activities were going on", he said adding to check this both Karwar Coast Guard and Mangalore Coast Guard would be upgraded with sophisticated equipments.