NEW DELHI: A small naval base INS Jatayu will be commissioned at Minicoy on March 6, as part of the government’s plan to incrementally boost military presence and security infrastructure in the strategically-located Lakshadweep archipelago in the Arabian Sea.
“With the requisite infrastructure and resources, INS Jatayu will enhance the Navy’s overall operational capability and reach in the region. The base will facilitate efforts towards anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations in the western Arabian Sea,” an officer said on Saturday.
“It will also augment the Navy’s capability as the first responder in the region and augment connectivity with the mainland,” he added. The move comes even as plans are also afoot to develop a dual-use airfield at Minicoy, which is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep that straddles vital sea lines of communications (SLOCs) in the region.
INS Jatayu will be the second naval base in Lakshadweep after INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti. “With the commissioning of INS Jatayu, in the presence of Admiral R Hari Kumar, the Navy will strengthen its foothold in the Lakshadweep islands and along with extending operational surveillance, reach and sustenance, it will usher in a new era of capacity-building and comprehensive development of the island territories,” the officer said.
The proposed dual-use airfield, capable of handling both military and commercial aircraft, at Minicoy is also crucial because the 36-island archipelago has only one airport at Agatti at present.
Apart from boosting tourism, an airfield at Minicopy would also enhance military surveillance capabilities in the Arabian Sea, much like the naval air station at Campbell Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands overlooks the crucial Malacca Strait, while also dominating the Six-Degree Channel.