Gujarat government keeps Navy waiting
6 Jun 2012 1:40 AM GMT
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s privatisation panacea for all ills of the state has put the Indian Navy in a spot of bother. The navy had contracted with Alcock Ashdown Gujarat Ltd (AAGL) - a state government owned shipyard based in Bhavnagar – for building and supplying six ‘hydrographic’ catamarans at a cost of about Rs 115 crores each.
The contract between the navy and AAGL was concluded in end-2011 and the supplies were to begin soon after. But the Gujarat government’s plan to privatise the shipyard has created confusion in the levels of management of the shipyard, thus reflecting in the delivery schedule of the twin hulled catamarans.
There has already been a delay of six months. And the first in the series of six has been put on ‘dry dock’ activities like painting the hull etc last month. The fate of the rest five is hanging in balance.
The navy sources are not willing to speak on record, possibly because of the sensitivities attached with anything Narendra Modi does. But off the record they say that it has put the hydrographic activities of the force been put under pressure, but then there is no cause for 'alarm'.
The navy sources say they trust the binding nature of the contract with AAGL and a ‘liability clause’ included in the contract will cover contingencies if they occur. They also affirm the second ship of the series is now being built.
Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Department [INHD] is a pioneering effort in this region of the world. The National Hydrography Institute trains personnel from the South East Asian region. The INHD is run under the navy’s chief, Hydrography.
The hydrographic activities include mapping the sea bed; issuing periodic navigational warnings; training and hydrograohic surveying. The INHD is committed to respond to national and international regulations / conventions relating to Safety of Life at Sea and Industrial off-shore development.
'The department offers to undertake … categories of surveys including Navigational Surveys; Pipeline & Submarine Cable laying Surveys; Exclusive Economic Zones & Continental Shelf Delineation Surveys; Pre & Post Dredging Surveys and Coastal Zone Management [CZM] Surveys,' the National Hydrographic Office website notes.
The contract between the navy and AAGL was concluded in end-2011 and the supplies were to begin soon after. But the Gujarat government’s plan to privatise the shipyard has created confusion in the levels of management of the shipyard, thus reflecting in the delivery schedule of the twin hulled catamarans.
There has already been a delay of six months. And the first in the series of six has been put on ‘dry dock’ activities like painting the hull etc last month. The fate of the rest five is hanging in balance.
The navy sources are not willing to speak on record, possibly because of the sensitivities attached with anything Narendra Modi does. But off the record they say that it has put the hydrographic activities of the force been put under pressure, but then there is no cause for 'alarm'.
The navy sources say they trust the binding nature of the contract with AAGL and a ‘liability clause’ included in the contract will cover contingencies if they occur. They also affirm the second ship of the series is now being built.
Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Department [INHD] is a pioneering effort in this region of the world. The National Hydrography Institute trains personnel from the South East Asian region. The INHD is run under the navy’s chief, Hydrography.
The hydrographic activities include mapping the sea bed; issuing periodic navigational warnings; training and hydrograohic surveying. The INHD is committed to respond to national and international regulations / conventions relating to Safety of Life at Sea and Industrial off-shore development.
'The department offers to undertake … categories of surveys including Navigational Surveys; Pipeline & Submarine Cable laying Surveys; Exclusive Economic Zones & Continental Shelf Delineation Surveys; Pre & Post Dredging Surveys and Coastal Zone Management [CZM] Surveys,' the National Hydrographic Office website notes.
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