Nearly 100 acres in ECR will be acquired for the project, says Navy official

Chennai will become an important naval base in future and nearly 100 acres of land in East Coast Road will be acquired for this project.

Rear Admiral Alok Bhatnagar, Flag Officer Commanding -Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area, while speaking on board INS Sumitra, said, they would require this space to build the Naval support infrastructure.

“Initially, Muttukadu was considered; but now, we have dropped that and looking at other villages in ECR. This apart, we already have land in Saidapet. These efforts are to expand our footprint here; we are also holding discussions with Chennai Port in this regard,” he said.

But he refused to comment on what the budget estimate for this expansion will be and how long it may take for this process to be complete.

He noted that Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have assumed primacy in the overall maritime security calculus and in Tamil Nadu, they are at an advanced stage of consultation towards expansion. Mr. Bhatnagar said they will acquire land at Ramanathapuram too for expansion. He also said they have been in talks with the State government as part of monsoon preparedness review. “Because of cyclone, there have been damages in Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli and the Navy has been coordinating with the local administration for providing help. We managed to rescue 14 fishermen so far and continue to help them,” he added.

Mr. Bhatnagar said they have been assisting the State in preventing the movement of non-bonafide personnel, smuggling of contraband items, poaching of banned creatures and search and rescue of stranded fishermen at sea. “The Navy in close consultation with the State government, the Coast Guard, the Coast Security Group, CISF, Fisheries, Ports, Customs, Animal Husbandry and Intelligence Bureau has been taking initiatives to strengthen coastal security in the State,” he added. Indian Navy, on 4 December, will celebrate the golden jubilee of Eastern Naval Command and Indian Navy’s Submarine Arm.