Navy puts South block on private choppers

Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin cited security reasons and the examples of the helipads set up by the Tatas and the Ambanis. The Tatas have a rooftop helipad at the Taj Wellington Mews Luxury Residences in Colaba,while the Ambanis have built theirs at Sea Wind in the heart of Cuffe Parade.

Bhasin was speaking on the eve of the Navy Week celebrations. About the Ambanis,he said,“They got permission to build a helipad on the building but we have not given them a no-objection certificate to begin helicopter movements.”

Also,he said,the Navy had not been consulted before the Tata helipad was built. Naval officials had earlier said their own helibase,INS Shikra,is just a “stone’s throw” from the helipad. The Tatas’ helipad is the only one functioning,other than INS Shikra.

Bhasin said the area has sensitive defence installations and free movement of helicopters could be a security threat.

“The helipad at Wellington Mews was cleared by Air Force headquarters and the Ministry of Defence. We have asked Navy headquarters to look into the matter again,” Bhasin said. Till an agreement is reached on the use of the helipad,all chopper movements take place with clearance from INS Shikra,he added.

On coastal security,Bhasin said the Coast Guard has asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to use its airstrip at Ratnagiri to accommodate interceptor and multi-mission maritime (MMM) aircraft that the Coast Guard is expected to induct as part of its expansion plan.

On improving coordination between various agencies patrolling the coast,Bhasin said the “ball is rolling but not as fast as it should” and the agencies were trying to streamline the process. “The sheer problem lies with the volume of ferries,fishing trawlers and the movement of people. It is so huge that regulating this traffic is extremely difficult,” he said.

On checking container traffic at major ports,Bhasin said the major ports are compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) while the government is considering the Container Security Initiative (CSI),as in the United States. “The only hitch is that the proposal states that US officials will have to be posted at the port to check that security measures are being followed correctly,” he said.