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Navy chief holds meeting on a houseboat

Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA: In a highly confidential meeting, Chief of the Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta and other top Navy officials met on a houseboat here on Monday night.

Admiral Mehta, sources said, was accompanied by the chiefs of the three naval commands: Flag Officers Commanding-in-Chief and Vice-Admirals — Jagjit Singh Bedi of the Western Naval Command, Raman Prem Suthan of the Eastern Naval Command and Sunil K. Damle of the Southern Naval Command.

They arrived here by car from Kochi by 9 p.m. and headed straight to the boat jetty at the Punnamada Finishing Point, where they boarded two houseboats. After spending the night on the Vatta Kayal, where most houseboats anchor for the night, the four held a short meeting on one boat before alighting at the Finishing Point at 11.15 a.m. They then left for Kochi by car.

Under wraps

The details of the meeting were kept under wraps. Their arrival and departure were closely guarded till their long convoy passed through the town.

The security personnel of the visitors were lodged in the State Guest House at Kommadi, where three rooms were booked a few days earlier. The district police provided escort to them on their way here and back, police sources said.

On August 18, 2007, top authorities of the Indian Air Force, led by Chief of the Air Staff Fali Homi Major spent a night on six houseboats before disembarking at Kumarakom the next day.

Air Chief Marshal Major, on that occasion, was accompanied by 16 Air Marshals, including the heads of the seven Air Force commands in the country. However, that was a private affair.

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