Panic spread after a large unidentified object was found lying next to the landmark Haji Ali Dargah on Tuesday morning. However, later the Coast Guard identified it as a buoy, whose anchor might have snapped, after which it drifted to Worli.
“Coast Guard helicopter, which was on a surveillance sortie, spotted a buoy that was close to Haji Ali Dargah at 12 pm on Tuesday,” read a statement issued by the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard agreed that the sighting had created panic among the public, as it was mistaken for a vessel.
Last monsoon two vessels — MV Wisdom and MT Pavit — had drifted to the shores of Mumbai.
“This same buoy seems to have been drifting for the last four days, so there is no a safety or security issue. On Tuesday, it finally floated over to Haji Ali. A navigational warning has also been issued for the seafarers to avoid collision with the object,” a Coast Guard officer said.
The maritime agencies like Maharashtra Maritime Board, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, shipping department, etc. are trying to locate the source of this buoy and how it eventually started drifting away.
According to officials, this kind of buoy is usually anchored and is found in the waters that are close to a coast or channel.
As the information of a vessel going adrift spread throughout the day, residents in the area started visiting the site to catch a glimpse of the object.
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State aims to promote retail sector
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday attended a seminar to chart a new roadmap for industrialisation organised by the All India Management Association.
He said that the recent decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment in retail by the Union government has been welcomed by the entrepreneurs in the country. “The Maharashtra government is aiming to promote retail sector in the state and entrepreneurs should be ready to give their full cooperation for the same. The opinions exchanged in the seminar will definitely help planners in the state to form credible policies for industrial development,” he said, adding that 335 mega projects worth `2.77 lakh crore are in the pipeline, which would generate 3.17 lakh jobs.