Mysterious sounds force Sindhudurg administration to step up vigil along coast

Panaji: The Sindhudurg administration is keeping a strict watch on boats to check any 'blast fishing' in view of the mysterious sounds reported by locals at Nivati beach in the district. Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography had on Monday said the sounds may be due to existence of geographic fault (crack in the earth's crust) or gas emission. "A team of scientists from Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) travelled to Nivati beach yesterday and went up to 25-30 nautical miles," Sindhudurg District Collector Anil Bhandari told PTI on Tuesday. Locals had informed the district administration that explosion-like sounds were heard along the coast on 7 April, 10 and 26, which scared the people in the nearby areas. Bhandari said several reasons are being attributed to the sounds, but only a scientific study will help know exact reason. "Some people also suspected that the noise may be due to blast fishing which is done using dynamite. We have kept a strict watch on the boats. Blast fishing is a criminal offence," he said. "The magnitude of the sound reported on 28 April was high. People came out of their houses fearing it was an earthquake. But the earthquake is ruled out," Bhandari said. The district administration along with Maharashtra Fisheries Department, Indian Coast Guard, and others held an emergency meeting in last week of April to discuss the issue. Bhandari said the district administration has not asked the locals to vacate the village or stopped the fishermen from fishing, pending scientific investigations. "There are no warnings issued. We are waiting for the report from NIO which is conducting detailed study on this unusual phenomenon," he said. NIO's chief scientist Dr Rajiv Nigam had told PTI on Monday, "it looks like minor geographical fault (crack in the earth's crust) has got activated in the area." "We would like to allay people's fear. There is nothing related to tsunami or any other natural disaster. People should not get panicky," he had said. "Or it might be due to existence of small gas pockets. It might also be due to eruption of gas. The gas gets accumulated in the mud and when it comes out it makes sound," he said.