Indian Navy Not to Shift their Base from Goa http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=51831&n_tit=Indian+Navy+Not+to+Shift+their+Base+from+Goa
<The Indian Navy will not shift their Goa base elsewhere as the **huge naval expansion plan at INS Hansa base is in the pipeline**top naval official said today....Comdt Parhar snubbed allegations that that the Indian Navy is absolutely not posing any hurdle in expansion plan as it clearly understands the requirement of airport expansion. **Military airfield is military airfield*. It's difficult to be established elsewhere. Everything needs a space and here (in Goa) we have lot of plans," he said. Apparently disturbed with the negative media publicity to the Indian Navy over the airport expansion, Comdt Parhar said that they have a purpose to stay at that place. 'The purpose has not come just two days back. The land was groomed to the stage what you see today," Comdt Parhar added.He said that the **Indian Navy will continue contributing for the civil aviation movement on this airport.** The Naval officer pointed out that they have opened the airport for 24 hours operations curtailing the naval flying hours. "**We do understand the requirement of tourism industry and hence we are not just looking after the military requirements**," he said.> The Officer says, on the one hand that "Military airfield is military airfield" implying that no co-existence is possible. On the other hand he says "We do understand the requirement of tourism industry and hence we are not just looking after the military requirements". He is trying to have it both ways. If the military can understand civilian aviation requirements there may be no reason why civilians cannot understand military requirements if it is shorn of mumbo jumbo subject to some undestandable secrecy considerations. Hence his argument is an entirely self serving one. I heard his explanation of why some new activities cannot be shifted to Karwar. He said that the airfield there could not be more than 4000 feet. Why that cannot suffice for helicopters, trainer aircraft and carrier based planes I am not able to fathom. The new aircraft carrier due in 2012, to be based in Karwar, is only about 700 (seven hundred) feet in length! Training activities should be shifted to Karwar. Helicopter training is already being done in Arrakonam (near Chennai) which has a humungous runway, for crying out aloud. Dabolim can continue to be used for transport aircraft which may need long runways. MiG 29Ks should be based in Karwar but should be able to make sorties to Dabolim on a flexible air space basis. Dabolim ATC can then be handed back to civilians. Military flight training including on MiG29KUBs should be wound down at Dabolim at the earliest. There is need for an Indian Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) exercise to rationalise air bases in the country and relieve civil enclaves of onerous loads like flight training in the urgent interests of low cost connectivity in a large and topographically challenging country like India and an aesthetically attractive (and peaceful) region like the Konkan.
