EZHIMALA: Marking another high point in the maritime history of the nation, the Ezhimala Naval Academy, the biggest one of its kind in Asia, will be commissioned on January 8 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta told reporters the academy would be the premier officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, besides being the largest academy in Asia. All officers inducted into the Navy under various schemes will undergo basic training at the academy, he said.
An estimated Rs 720 crore had already been spent on the Academy where the training programme of cadets will begin in June 2009.
Mehta said the academy would not keeping itself aloof from the public. The public may be allowed to visit the academy and watch its functioning during week-ends, he disclosed.
Meanwhile, representatives of the All-India Council for Technical Education will visit the academy in April to evaluate the facilities for the BTech Engineering course scheduled to be started at the academy from June.