Fishermen’s associations in East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas have rued that several thousand DATs (distress-alert transmitters) that the government installed in 3,500-odd vessels a few years ago are defunct.

The vessels fitted with the DATs constitute at least half of deep-sea fishing vessels in the two districts. But sources say the machines fell into disuse owing to pandemic-enforced lockdowns as well as purportedly substandard battery lives.

With the revival of full-fledged hilsa fishing in mid-June this year, trawler operators have come out in large numbers saying their DATs don’t work.

“These devices, if operational, are extremely beneficial for our safety. They send out signals directly to the Chennai Coast Guard in case of an emergency. But it turns out that a new battery for this costs Rs 4,500 and the government will not arrange for it,” said a fisherman.

Fishery association sources in East Midnapore said they had spoken to government officials in this regard, who in turn referred to an implicit understanding that following the initial installation, all maintenance would fall upon trawler owners or operators.

“It seems these batteries last only a year and a half. And the last two years have been some of the worst in fishing history, for obvious reasons. So, these devices might just go to waste; we are trying to prevent that,” said an association member. “Even if we are expected to pay for these, a look-back at the last two fishing seasons will amply prove our inability to do the same.”

Satinath Patra, secretary of the Kakdwip Fishermen’s Association, spoke about the security that DATs provided to fishermen.

“We all would like to have these on board but in a cost-effective manner,” he said.

State fisheries minister Akhil Giri said he would await a formal letter describing the state of the DATs and a proposed solution, following which he would write to companies concerned for necessary maintenance and repair.

Last month, a trawler had capsized in the Bay of Bengal off East Midnapore’s Petuaghat. The cause of the accident in which nine lives had been lost had been turbulent waters.

While preparing to venture into the sea from Fraserganj in South 24-Parganas on Wednesday, a fisherman said precious lives could have been saved in the Petuaghat incident if the trawler had a working DAT.

“If an alert had been transmitted from the vessel, it would have helped the Coast Guard jump into the rescue act. This could have saved the lives of the crew and those onboard the trawler,” the fisherman said.

Apart from installing the DAT in vessels to curb trawler accidents that have claimed over 100 lives in the past few years, the state government has been mulling a design change for trawlers since last year while advising fishermen to indulge in “group fishing” to help each other in a crisis situation.