NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh stated that India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. “The Government of India has taken the attacks very seriously and the Navy has increased its surveillance. He assured that the perpetrators of these attacks will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them”, he said while speaking at the commissioning ceremony of indigenous stealth destroyer INS Imphal.
The Defence Minister stressed on the need to continuously develop the Navy’s capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests.
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar pointed out that “to counter piracy & drone attacks on merchant shipping, the Indian Navy has deployed four destroyers.”
The P8I Aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, Helicopters & Coast Guard Ships have all been deployed jointly to counter these threats, he added during the commissioning ceremony of INS Imphal.
While the Liberia-flagged merchant vessel M/V Chem Pluto carrying 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew members came under a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, M/V Saibaba was hit by a one-way drone attack in the southern Red Sea on Saturday.
INS Imphal, a Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
It is the third of four indigenous ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, being designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister described INS Imphal as a shining example of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, MDL & all other stakeholders towards national security. “INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of ‘Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya’ (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
The ship measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and is amongst the most potent warships built in India. It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas & Gas configuration, and is capable of speeds over 30 knots.
The ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel and is commanded by Captain KK Choudhury, a Gunnery and Missiles specialist. It will augment the Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility in safeguarding the nation’s maritime security and interests.
As reported earlier by this newspaper the contract for the construction of four ships under Project-15B was signed in January 2011 at a project cost of about Rs 29,643.74 crore. The final cost of the project is Rs 35,000 crore. The four ships are christened after major cities of the country - Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The remaining ships would be commissioned one per year from 2022 to 2024.