Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta Spells Out Vision 2022

[nitesh]

Towering threat to Mazagon dock?-Mumbai-Cities-The Times of India

Towering threat to Mazagon dock?
1 Feb 2009, 0200 hrs IST, Nauzer Bharucha, TNN


MUMBAI: Along the eastern waterfront and barely five minutes from the Dockyard Road station is Mazagon dock, a high-security zone guarded by armed personnel round-the-clock. It is here that the Indian Navy's new stealth warships and submarines are being built.

But unknown to many, just across the road from this sensitive installation, a builder has chalked out plans to construct a 35-storey-plus skyscraper that will give a bird's eye view of the dock area. Early this month, the Bomanji Dhunjibhoy Tenants' Association, comprising six turn-of-the-century low-rise buildings in the Sakarwadi compound, wrote to the dock authorities about the proposed redevelopment of their property by the developer, Lokhandwala Infrastructure.

The tenants, who had earlier given their consent to the builder for the redevelopment project, now fear that the proposed tower might get embroiled in litigation if objections were raised by the naval authorities once work started.Some of the residents who spoke to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity said they feared that they might remain homeless for an indefinite period if the project got stuck once their existing buildings were pulled down.

A senior Lokhandwala representative, Murtuza Ali Rajkotwala, said the project will commence only after all the permissions are procured from the BMC and the housing authority (Mhada). "We will secure permission from every department and take precautions. If there are problems, we may make a smaller tower,'' he said.

The association, in a letter addressed to the dock authorities on January 14, said, "The property is situated across Mazagon dock, which is a strategically important Government of India undertaking engaged in the business of development/repairing warships and submarines. This makes it a crucial defence undertaking, which can be understood from the fact that it is normally headed by a senior vice-admiral of the Indian Navy....due to the strategic position of the dock, the redevelopment project gets stalled at a later stage and a stay or any such proceedings implemented by Mazagon docks or any other undertaking, then tenants will be stranded for a long period.''

Mazagon Dock chairman and managing director, Vice-Admiral H S Malhi, was not available for comment. But general manager P K Sahoo said he had been informed about the proposed development by the residents. However, neither the developer nor the BMC had approached the dock authorities for a no-objection certificate.

"If such a building is coming up, it is objectionable. We are thinking of writing to the BMC,'' he told TOI, adding that there was also an option of approaching the court.

Former CMD of Mazagon Docks, Vice-Admiral (retd) S K K Krishnan, said these are the disadvantages of having defence installations in a city like Mumbai. "Skyscrapers like the Taj hotel and the BSE building overlook the operational areas of the naval installations. There is very little one can do about these things.''

Lokhandwala Infrastructure has already announced the skyscraper project, naming it Panorama, where "every square foot reflects meticulous planning and new-age amenities that blend with sophisticated design and international style.''

Lokhandwala's slum redevelopment project in the vicinity of Arthur Road Jail in Jacob Circle has also been stalled after the prison authorities raised objections about its high-rise coming up near the jail.

The prison manual imposes a ban on the construction of buildings more than 22 ft and within a 200-m radius.

 

[nitesh]

Navy to instal anti-aircraft guns, radars along coastline-Mumbai-Cities-The Times of India

Navy to instal anti-aircraft guns, radars along coastline
3 Feb 2009, 0003 hrs IST, Sharad Vyas, TNN


MUMBAI: For the first time since the Kargil war a decade ago, the Indian Navy is going to install advanced anti-aircraft guns (L-70) and radars along the city's coastline. The first of these guns would be set up on a Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) land at Ballard Pier.

Sources in the MbPT confirmed that they have received a request letter from Navy seeking permission to create a base for L-70 guns along with advanced radars and generators. The guns - which have a high rate of fire to pump hundreds of shells within seconds - will be manned by 20 commandos, the letter to MbPT reads.

Officials from MbPT and Navy refused to confirm that the guns were being deployed keeping in mind the threat of an air strike on vital installations across the city. They said the guns were being installed as part of heightened security measures being undertaken by defence organisations after the 26/11 attacks.

"This is not the first time anti-aircraft guns are being deployed in Mumbai. In the past, we have set up 40mm anti-aircraft guns at our coast batteries, but L-70 is an advanced version which can fire shells quickly. The shells then form a barrage and destroy the target,'' said Captain M Nambiar, chief public relations officer, ministry of defence.

MbPT officials said their land at Ballard Pier is strategically located and gives an unhindered view of Mumbai's shoreline. "From the defence point of view, this is our best piece of land. We will also keep the area free of equipment and containers so that the guns get a clear view,'' said a senior port official.

In December last year, Air chief Fali Homi Major had warned that terrorists are likely to carry out 9/11-type aerial attack on targets in India.

 

[LCA]

India, China face-off in the Indian Ocean

India, China face-off in the Indian Ocean

In the first military stand-off between the two Asian giants since 1986, an Indian submarine and two Chinese warships came close to a confrontation in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, but the situation was resolved when the submarine left the site, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

The Bab Al-Mandab Strait separates Yemen and Djibouti at the western end of the Gulf of Aden.

Though both the Indian and Chinese governments refused to comment on the matter, the report claimed that on January 15, the two warships, which had been deployed to fight Somali pirates, were followed by the submarine.

The warships forced the submarine to surface after several rounds of manoeuvring, the Hongkong-based newspaper said, adding that the submarine chose to end the stand-off and leave the spot.

The stand-off was triggered off after the Chinese warships detected the presence of a submarine on their sonar, the report stated. The vessel reportedly fitted the description of submarines belonging to the Indian Navy.

When the submarine tried to jam the warships' sonar system, the Chinese navy sent an anti-submarine helicopter to track it, stated the report.

The newspaper claimed that the submarine had been following the warships since they entered the Indian Ocean. The escalating situation prompted the Chinese naval officials to keep its anti-submarine torpedoes ready.

The Indian submarine was reportedly trying to obtain crucial naval data from China's two most advanced warships, claimed the South China Morning Post.

 

[nitesh]

ha ha ha funny news JAMMING THE SONAR.

Junk news to cut it short

 

[A-D]

again i will reply same as i reply in world affair

the article says Submarine was trailing them since they entered Indian Ocean.
that brings up a lot of questions.

Did Submarine trailed undetected for thousands of miles?

if Chinese detected the submarine near Yemen, how did they even know it was trailing them from Malacca?

And when they did find them, they dispatched a "ASW chopper with torpedos ready" to flex their little peens...its a slap on the PLAN's face that they got themselves tailed that far and came to know it only when the sub surfaced.

 

[satishkumarcsc]

It could also have been an Iranian Kilo class...

 

[A-D]

It could also have been an Iranian Kilo class...

whatever sir whether its belong To IN or iran , the main thing is . Submarine trailed undetected for thousands of miles , and the main and new warships of china was sleeping or dont know what they was doing .......

 

[nitesh]

and the funny part A-D is that if a chinese vessel surfaces near USN it's a good thing for them. Not reporting that they might have been forced to come out, but IN vessel surfaces near them is good. I think the sub commander must have came up said good bye and gone. Ha ha ha

 

[A-D]

and the funny part A-D is that if a chinese vessel surfaces near USN it's a good thing for them. Not reporting that they might have been forced to come out, but IN vessel surfaces near them is good. I think the sub commander must have came up said good bye and gone. Ha ha ha

lol sir thats what i was trying say ...... and sir am a big fan of your replies . and will see you at Aero india , if i will get time .

 

[LCA]

yeah.., it is very much looklike that IN and PLAN playing hide and seek.

Now, chinese turn to catch india.

 

[nitesh]

lol sir thats what i was trying say ...... and sir am a big fan of your replies . and will see you at Aero india , if i will get time .

Please don't use this three letter word (in BOLD) for me. There is no such need.

Please don't embrace me.

BTW the tickets are available for sell.

Haven't purchased it as of now. I am not sure I will be available at that time. Would like to here from you.

PS: I hope you will do something useful except babe watching

 

[keeninterest]

wow, thats seriously one of the best news i have heard.

cheers!

 

[LCA]

Indian submarine spooked Chinese warship: Report

Indian submarine spooked Chinese warship: Report

New Delhi: An Indian Kilo class submarine spooked Chinese warships that were sent to patrol pirate infested waters in the Gulf of Aden and the two navies engaged in an hour long game of 'hide and seek' in international waters last month, Chinese media reports have said.

In the first such incident involving Indian and Chinese warships that has come to light, media reports from China said that its warships 'forced' the Indian submarine to surface after over an hour of manoeuvres during which anti submarine choppers were scrambled from the Chinese destroyers.

While sources in the Indian Navy have acknowledged that track was being kept of the Chinese warships that transited from the Malacca Straits to Somalia waters, they denied that the India sub was forced to surface during the 'encounter'.

"It is a routine procedure. We do keep track of warships transiting near Indian waters through all means possible. However, the reports of the Indian submarine having surfaced are incorrect,"a senior Navy Officer said.


China had for the first time sent two destroyers to Somalia last month to patrol the waters, its first deployment to far away waters. India already has a warship in the area and has been patrolling the region for more than three months.

Chinese media reports said that the incident took place on January 15 in the waters near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait that separates Yemen and Djibouti. They said that the Chinese warships picked up the Indian submarine on sonar and after 'rounds of manoeuvring during which both sides tried to test for weaknesses in the other's sonar system' the Indian submarine was forced to surface.

 

[LCA]

Poor chinese first time they came to play (Hide and Seek),got busted.

 

[macintosh]

India rubbishes reports of Navy submarine 'forced' to surface

New Delhi, Feb 04: India today rubbished reports that China's warships on anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden caught an Indian Navy submarine snooping on it in the international waters.

Vehemently denying that two Chinese Destroyers had "forced" an Indian submarine to surface, Navy officials here said the vessel "was not Indian" at all.

"None of our submarines surfaced in the Gulf of Aden region as reported in a section of the Chinese media," a Navy official said here.

Chinese newspapers and websites had reported a couple of days ago that their warships sent to fight piracy in waters off Somalia were stalked by an Indian attack submarine and the two sides became locked in a tense stand-off for at least half-an-hour.

They also claimed that after rounds of manoeuvring during which both sides tried to test for weaknesses in other's sonar system, the two Chinese warships managed to force the Indian submarine to surface.

Indian Navy, however, said there was no such face-off with the Chinese Navy vessels. "This seems to be a psychological warfare indulged in by the Chinese Navy," an official said. Asked if the Navy had any submarine currently deployed in the region, officials said they were operating submarines in a range of theatres and that deployment patterns could not be discussed.

Asked if India had tracked the Chinese warships while they sailed to the Gulf of Aden recently, the officials said they had the capability to do so and varied means were available at their disposal to do so.

"We can track it with maritime reconnaissance efforts, surface vessels and submarines. Our vessels are already operating all over the international waters and we also have a warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden," the official said.

India already has a warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations since November and they have already engaged the sea brigands on several occasions, deflecting their attack on several merchant vessels in the region and even neutralising a 'mother ship' of the pirates. Chinese media had reported the "stand-off" between their warships and Indian submarine took place on January 15 in the waters near Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which separates Yemen and Djibouti, at the western end of the Gulf of Aden.

It said the Destroyers had picked up an unidentified submarine on their sonar and soon identified it as a 70-m-long vessel armed with 20 torpedoes. However, the Chinese Navy had not named any specific submarine class, but provided a file photo of a Kilo-class submarine "which fit the description." The report also claimed the Chinese warships sent an anti-submarine helicopter to help track the submarine, which tried to jam the Chinese warships' sonar system.

But the destroyers eventually "cornered" the submarine and "forced" it to surface. At one point, the report claimed, the Chinese commander even ordered the helicopter to have its anti-submarine torpedoes ready.