Navy selects Telangana as key base for 2nd VLF communication transmission station
Jan 25, 2024
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 25 : The Indian Navy has chosen Telangana as a key base for the second very low frequency (VLF) communication transmission station in the country, with the upcoming facility planned for the Vikarabad district, an official statement said.
According to the statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the Navy uses a VLF communication transmission station to communicate with ships and submarines. This station will be set up in the Damagudem forest area near Puduru in the Vikarabad mandal.
"This is the second station in the country. INS Kattabomman Radar Station at Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, was the first of its kind. It has been serving the Navy since 1990. The Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam has already identified Telangana as a suitable area for setting up a second radar station," the statement said.
The statement noted that since 2010, the Navy has been in touch with the state government. Despite all the environmental permits and clearances, the allotment of land did not proceed due to the "negligence of the previous government." With the special initiative of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, all the obstacles to this project were removed. Commodore Karthik Shankar, Circle DEO Rohit Bhupathi and Captain Sandeep Das met CM Reddy on Wednesday.
The officials of Vikarabad DFO and Naval Command Agency signed the agreement for the transfer of forest lands. 1174 hectares of forest land under Damagudem Reserve Forest have been handed over to the Navy. In 2014 itself, the Union Forest and Environment Department approved the Navy's proposals. Campa funds Rs 133.54 crores for handing over forest land and the Navy has paid Rs 18.56 crores for the work undertaken for land conservation measures, the CMO's statement informed.
As per the statement, Damagudem Forest Protection has filed a petition in court seeking to cancel this project. The court has issued orders to take all precautions following the conditions decided by the government.
Along with the Navy station, the township would have schools, hospitals, banks and markets. This naval unit consists of around 600 naval personnel and other civilians.
"About 2500 to 3000 people live in this township. Adequate measures would be taken to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance in the region through extensive planting. As a part of this project, about 27 km of road will be constructed around Damagudem Reserve Forest. This new VLF centre will be completed in 2027," the statement added.
