Sabotage cabotaged

Cabotage refers to the transport of goods or passengers between two points in one country by a ship or aircraft registered in another country. Governments are often reluctant to relax cabotage rules for security reasons, including, say, the possibility of sabotage of critical installations. But it appears a current Rajya Sabha MP is a little hazy about the differences between the two words. He recently asked Shipping Minister G K Vasan (pictured) about the “current sabotage policy for domestic and foreign vessels”. Vasan and his bureaucrats – probably the latter since it is their job to frame replies to parliamentary questions – clearly have a sense of humour. The answer tabled in the upper House says the ministry of shipping has no sabotage policy for vessels. It added, “However, there is a cabotage policy for foreign vessels,” before explaining the nitty-gritty of the policy that restricts coastal waters for foreign flagged vessels.