Kerala Legislators and Govt Officials visit SNC

A two-day visit of the Kerala Legislators and State Officials to SNC was organised by the Indian Navy as part of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision for creating greater sea consciousness amongst the populace especially in coastal areas. Seven MLAs and seven officials comprising representatives from various departments of Govt of Kerala participated in the event on 15 and 16 September 2021. A first hand brief on training and operational functioning of the Navy with emphasis on maritime strengths and challenges of Kerala was presented to the dignitaries. Vice Admiral A K Chawla, FOCINC, SNC interacted with the dignitaries and sensitised them on nuances of maritime domain, imperatives of maritime security and challenges thereof. The event was earmarked by familiarisation tours to various Naval simulators on water survival, damage control, firefighting techniques onboard ships and ship handling. A special visit to INS Dronacharya, at Fort Kochi was conducted, which included maritime museum projecting historical warfare capabilities of the Navy. The main theme of the event was an exclusive ‘Day at Sea’ providing an unique opportunity of sailing onboard Naval warships so that elected representatives as well as policy makers in government could appreciate the dynamics of operating at sea, Navy’s war fighting and constabulary roles and current capability. During the sea sortie, the Naval units demonstrated various facets of Naval operations that included displays by aircraft, SAR operations, manoeuvres at sea, neutralisation of asymmetric threats by versatile waterjet Fast Attack Crafts as well as Fast Interceptor Crafts. One of the distinctive events was sail past by Naval sail ships Tarangini and Sudharsini with Naval cadets showcasing their sailing and rigging skills. During the sea sortie, the dignitaries were also taken around the ship and familiarised with the various compartments, confined working and machinery spaces along with living areas. The Navy appreciated the whole hearted support of the State Government towards organising this event which would go a long way in strengthening civil defence coordination.