Kerala - Kozhikode   

Coast Guard to acquire land for base station

KOZHIKODE: As part of improving maritime surveillance and strengthening coastal security, the Indian Coast Guard plans to acquire 25 acres of land to set up a modern base station in Beypore.

At present, the Coast Guard station in Beypore is on four acres with limited facilities. Moreover, the area does not meet the requirement for future developments. The Coast Guard needs more land to improve infrastructure facilities, including setting up a training academy, quarters for families, helipad, workshop, equipment building unit and solid waste management cell.

Station commanding officer G.K.P. Sreekumar told The Hindu on Sunday that he had already held talks with District Collector P.B. Salim in this regard. The Coast Guard has prepared a project for expansion plans on an area that includes four acres leading to the waterfront. One of the major components is the establishment of a training academy for the personnel. At present, they are given basic training at the Naval Academy at Ezhimala and at the Coast Guard Training Academy in Kochi.

The duties of the personnel of the Coast Guard and Navy are different. The Coast Guard personnel need to be imparted training in exclusive subjects such as rescue, patrolling, salvaging and pollution control, Mr. Sreekumar said.

He said the absence of a special ship landing centre at the existing Beypore station has affected the operations of the Coast Guard. Recently the station was provided with a high-speed Interceptor boat. But lack of facilities at the wharf hampered the search and rescue operation in the coastal area.

Currently, there are 50 personnel and their families accommodated at various places in the city. Two additional shifts will be incorporated soon at the station, taking the total number of personnel to 150. Earlier, the Coast Guard had purchased one acre of land at the Jawahar Nagar to build apartments for families. However, the land would be inadequate, he said. Simultaneously, the Union Ministry of Defence has initiated the process of acquiring waterfront land at Chaliyam here for setting up either a Naval Dock Yard or a Coast Guard Training Centre. Experts from the Ministry of Defence are expected to visit the site.

Industries Minister Elamaram Karim has expressed to Defence Minister A.K. Antony the State government’s willingness to hand over 46 acres of land at Chaliyam that had been taken over from a petroleum company.

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