Fishermen of Digha get mobile phones with safety app

Kolkata: In a bid to provide security to the fishermen of Digha as they venture into the deep sea and to provide them an idea of the weather conditions in advance, some fishermen were handed over mobile phones with a specialized app on Friday.

The Digha Fishermen & Fish Traders Association with the help of some NGOs made arrangements for these mobile sets. Five fishermen were handed over such mobile phones with special apps. It is for the first time in the state that such mobiles are being handed over to the fishermen community in Bengal. The app will help them to know in advance about the behavior of the sea and will also guide them about the best way to have a good haul in fishing. The language will be in Bengali. The app will also provide weather updates in advance about whether there will be cyclones or inclement weather conditions. Fishermen will also be able to select the zone for fishing and will also have some important phone numbers that they can contact during emergency. Fishermen in states like Tamilnadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka Odisha have been using similar sort of mobiles. It was known that such mobiles for the fishermen of Kakdwip, Bakkhali, etc in South 24 Parganas will also be introduced soon. Some leading oceanographers were also present during the programme held in Digha.