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Sunday, Jan 07, 2007
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Navy expects early funds for project

Sandeep Dikshit

Base not to share space with commercial ships

KARWAR: With Defence Minister A.K. Antony taking keen interest in the modernisation plans of the armed forces, the Navy is hoping that the Government would soon approve funding for phase II of the Karwar naval base project.

Operation Seabird

Called "Operation Seabird," the integrated naval base is set to evolve into the fourth command headquarters of the Navy and the only one that would not be sharing space with commercial ships.

"We hope the Cabinet Committee on Security would take up the issue of releasing funds for the next phase by March," said a senior naval officer on the occasion of commissioning of the first warship to be based here.

On completion, the Rs. 35,000-crore naval base will be one of the biggest in the world but funding has been a problem ever since the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, laid the foundation stone in 1986.

Even the phase I completed last year was a truncated affair due to shortage of funds.

The Government asked the Navy to restrict the expenditure and assured that the remaining part would be completed over five years from 2005.

Mid-way on the western coast, the Karwar naval base will decongest the Mumbai harbour and host modern submarines and ships, including the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (to be renamed INS Vikramaditya). "At some point of time it should become a command headquarters provided funds are released periodically," said the officer.

The second phase, or the completion of the truncated first phase, will involve the construction of a naval airport and in the third phase, a full-fledged naval dock would be built to build and upgrade ships.

Explaining the importance of the base, officers said the Navy would be able to position and manoeuvre ships at will.

This facility is denied at all its bases either due to heavy merchant vessel activity or geographical constraints.

The hills surrounding it and the islands in front of the base make it less susceptible to attacks, he added.

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