Kochi: Over 1,000 officers and sailors of the
Navy, forming part of the Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB), a new naval
force formed to protect naval bases and coastline, will
commence their three week training at INS Dronacharya here
from January 11 next, a Naval officer said today.
The Cabinet Committee on Security had recently approved
the formation of the SPB for Force Protection Duties, Flag
Officer Commanding in Chief of the Southern Naval Command,
Vice Admiral K N Sushil told reporters on board INS Krishna
here.
The Navy personnel, who will undergo the training are
below 25 years of age, he said.
The force will be equipped with Fast Interceptor Crafts,
small arms and will also be suitably trained for a wide
spectrum of coastal security tasks, Sushil said.
In the first week, small arms training will be imparted,
after which there will be a capsule on navigation, to be
followed by a consolidated training on fast interceptor
crafts. A week-long training will also be held on INS Shivaji
where the entire crew will be `cross trained`.
As the nodal agency for coastal security in Kerala, the
Southern Naval Command in collaboration with other security
agencies, was determined to provide comprehensive security for
the state, he said.
A major exercise on coastal security was conducted in
October involving various agencies including police, customs
and coastguard and a similar exercise was being planned for
Lakshadweep Islands in the near future, he said.
Much needs to done in terms of security of minor ports,
monitoring of unmanned landing points and a fool proof
identification for all the sea going craft and their crew.
the Vice-Admiral said.
Post 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the government had also
asked the Indian navy to conduct marine orientation training
for CISF personnel and three batches of 253 CISF men have
undergone training. About 500 CISF personnel are expected to
be trained every year from 2010, he said.
On the recent incident of a French yacht making
unauthorised entry into Indian waters, he said the naval
personnel had gone on board to check if they were involved in
any clandestine activities, but they found nothing suspicious
and the yacht was allowed to leave.
About the delay in the completion of infrastructure
facilities at Ezhimala academy, he said most of the training
infrastructure was complete while work on some more facilities
like hospitals are yet to be over. The navy has been assured
that by the middle of next year it would be completed,he said.
Twenty warships from nine countries have called at Kochi
port since December last year for goodwill and operational
reasons. A significant increase in foreign ships calling at
Kochi is due to large deployment of many navies in the piracy
infested Gulf of Aden region.
The Kochi bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal will commence
operations from December 6, he said.
PTI
