Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane visited the Indian Coast Guard facilities in the North West Region on March 28-29 and inaugurated the infrastructure for the Hovercraft Maintenance Unit (HMU) at Okha, defence ministry said here on Friday.
Giving details, officials said Coast Guard OTM and Married Accommodation at Inaz Village Veraval was inaugurated by Defence Secretary’s wife Gayatri Aramane on Friday.
The Defence Secretary was also briefed about the upcoming 200 mtr ICG Jetty Construction work at Okha. He appreciated the role played by ICG, in safeguarding national maritime interests in its area of responsibility.
The hovercrafts are based at Okha and Jakhau for maintaining surveillance in 50 Islands in the Area of Responsibility (AoR), Gulf of Kutch, in the shallow water and marshy terrain along the coast of Gujarat.
The field facility for HMU will enable timely technical support, upkeep maintenance of these hovercrafts which in turn will ensure optimum operational availability and keep them in ever ready state to meet any operational requirement.HMU facilities comprise of ACV parking for technical assistance, Office Building, Workshop and Maintenance Area.
The Coast Guard Residential Area (CGRA) at Inaz Village Veraval includes 60 Nos of Married Accommodations, an all-weather Helipad, living Accommodations for Subordinate Officers and Naviks, a Parade Ground, and a Mess. The presence of a helipad adds a strategic advantage to various operations in Veraval that includes addressing maritime emergencies, search & rescue missions, and surveillance activities.
The ICG Regional Headquarters (North West) was established on December 16, 2009 at Gandhinagar. It executes ICG’s mandated charter in maritime zones in Gujarat, Daman and Diu.
The ICG is focused on the development of berthing and other infrastructure which underscores the commitment of equipping with facilities for operating advanced surface and air platforms. In addition to the recently inaugurated Jetty at Vadinar, ICG is also constructing 100 mtr jetty extension at Porbandar and 125 mtr jetty at Mundra in addition to the 200 mtr jetty at Okha.
