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The Indian Navy will commission a new base INS Jatayu on Minicoy Island on March 6 to incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important Lakshadweep Islands.
Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep which straddles the vital Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs), the Indian Navy said on Saturday. The Commissioning of the Naval Detachment Minicoy as INS Jatayu will take place in the presence of Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff.
It’s learned that the base will be expanded over a period of time into a larger base capable of operating aircraft carriers. The Indian Navy’s move is buoyed by increasing China’s presence in the region.
The Naval Detachment Minicoy was set up in the early 1980s under the operational command of Naval Officer-in-Charge (Lakshadweep), said a Navy spokesperson.
“The event marks an important milestone in the Navy’s resolve to incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important Lakshadweep Islands,” he stated.
Basing an independent Naval unit with requisite infrastructure and resources will enhance the overall operational capability of the Indian Navy in the islands. The base will enhance operational reach and facilitate the Indian Navy’s operational effort towards anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations in the Western Arabian Sea.
The establishment of a Naval base, as per the Navy, is in line with the government of India’s focus on the comprehensive development of islands.
INS Jatayu is the second Naval base in Lakshadweep after INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti. “With the commissioning of INS Jatayu, the Indian Navy will strengthen its foothold in the Lakshadweep islands, and along with extending operational surveillance, reach and sustenance, it will usher a in new era of capacity building and comprehensive development of the island territories,” observed the Navy spokesperson.
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