jarves
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2013
- Messages
- 5,082
- Reaction score
- -10
- Country
- Location
MANGALORE: Indian Coast Guard is inching ever so slowly towards its stated goal of setting up an air enclave in this coastal city. Vital to undertaking aerial surveillance of India's vast and sometimes porous coastline especially along the West Coast, the air enclave holds vital strategic importance to national security. Delay on part of the state government in handing over land is holding up setting up the air enclave.
The Indian Coast Guard through the Defence Estate Officer has already paid Rs 1.88 crore for the 15.21 acres of land needed by it for the enclave. Noting that the Defence Estate Officer is the custodian of all defence land, Commander Rajmani Sharma, Coast Guard Karnataka said, once the land is handed over the defence estate officer, it officially comes to the Coast Guard to be used for the purpose it is acquired for.
At present, Coast Guard is using fixed wing Dorniers from its other air enclaves to carry out surveillance sorties over Karnataka's 320-km long coastline. "We have Dorniers that come to the old airport at Bajpe near here from where they carry out regular sorties," he said. The Coast Guard intends to set up hangars to house one fixed wing Dornier and a Chetak at the air enclave to start with and double the numbers at a later date.
J T Radhakrishna, director, Mangalore International Airport told STOI that Airports Authority of India a year ago has offered the terminal building of the old airport to Coast Guard for the proposed air enclave. Indian Coast Guard is pursuing the same with the ministry of defence and awaiting clearances, he said, adding Coast Guard aircrafts are periodically using the old airport for their sorties and apron space there for parking.
Coast Guard inches its way towards setting up Air Enclave - Times Of India
The Indian Coast Guard through the Defence Estate Officer has already paid Rs 1.88 crore for the 15.21 acres of land needed by it for the enclave. Noting that the Defence Estate Officer is the custodian of all defence land, Commander Rajmani Sharma, Coast Guard Karnataka said, once the land is handed over the defence estate officer, it officially comes to the Coast Guard to be used for the purpose it is acquired for.
At present, Coast Guard is using fixed wing Dorniers from its other air enclaves to carry out surveillance sorties over Karnataka's 320-km long coastline. "We have Dorniers that come to the old airport at Bajpe near here from where they carry out regular sorties," he said. The Coast Guard intends to set up hangars to house one fixed wing Dornier and a Chetak at the air enclave to start with and double the numbers at a later date.
J T Radhakrishna, director, Mangalore International Airport told STOI that Airports Authority of India a year ago has offered the terminal building of the old airport to Coast Guard for the proposed air enclave. Indian Coast Guard is pursuing the same with the ministry of defence and awaiting clearances, he said, adding Coast Guard aircrafts are periodically using the old airport for their sorties and apron space there for parking.
Coast Guard inches its way towards setting up Air Enclave - Times Of India
