 "Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar presents a memento to Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel during the commissioning of naval base 'INS Jatayu', in Minicoy, Lakshadweep Islands. PTI")
India is standing strong in protecting its borders and enhancing its reach in the neighbourhood, especially in the Indian Ocean region. And with that in mind, the Indian Navy commissioned its new base, INS Jatayu, on Lakshadweep’s Minicoy island on Wednesday (6 March).
INS Jatayu will be India’s second base in Lakshadweep. The Navy’s first base on the islands, INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti, was commissioned in 2012.
What do we know about INS Jatayu? Why does it matter to India? What role will it play? We give you the answers to these questions and more.
All about INS Jatayu
The origins of INS Jatayu lie in the Naval Detachment Minicoy set up in the early 1980s as a small unit with limited responsibilities. This has now been expanded into an independent base that will enhance the overall operational capability of the Indian Navy.
On Wednesday, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar commissioned the second naval base in Lakshadweep at a function held in Minicoy. Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel, Southern Naval Command Chief Vice Admiral V Srinivas and Western Naval Command Chief Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh were present during the function.
Speaking at the event, the Navy chief also explained the reason for the name — Jatayu. He said that it was named after the mythical creature in the epic Ramayana who tried to stop the abduction of Sita.
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More Shorts“In the Ramayana, Jatayu was the ‘first responder’, trying to stop the abduction of Sita ji, even to the peril of his own life, exemplifying service before self. So the naming of this unit as Jatayu is an apt recognition of this spirit of providing security surveillance and selfless service,” Admiral R Hari Kumar was quoted as saying.
The navy chief added that the information relayed by Jatayu to Lord Ram provided crucial situational awareness.
“Similarly, we expect that this unit will provide situational awareness to the Indian Navy in maintaining good maritime domain awareness of the entire region. INS Baaz to the east in the Andamans and now the INS Jatayu in the west will serve as eyes and ears to the Navy to safeguard our national interest,” Kumar further said.
Significance of INS Jatayu
As Admiral Kumar said, INS Jatayu will serve as India’s eyes and ears in the region. And how is that possible? Firstly, INS Jatayu is located just about 130 km from Thuraakunu, the northernmost island of Maldives. This will enable India to keep a better watch on the Maldives , with whom ties are strained as of now.
In fact, the Maldives has been inching closer to China, permitting for submarines and research vessels to dock there. Only last month, Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 carried out oceanic surveys in the outside limits of the EEZs of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives while eventually berthing at the archipelago nation.
INS Jatayu will also add teeth to the Navy in the Indian Ocean region, at a time when it is witnessing an upsurge in maritime terror, crime, and piracy. Minicoy in Lakshadweep is centrally situated to the vital Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs). The base will serve as a rest and replenishment base for the navy ships patrolling the region.
Captain DK Sharma (retired) of the Indian Navy in a BharatShakti.in report says: “INS Jatayu is just sitting north of the 9-degree channel through which 90 per cent of the world trade moves in this part of the world. Just like how we developed Andaman and Nicobar 20-30 years back, the focus has shifted here because the situation demands it; because Malé is getting closer to the Dragon, the Chinese things, the footprint is increasing.”
Effectively, what this means is that through INS Jatayu, the Indian Navy hopes to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the region.
A similar observation was made by Naval Officer-in-Charge (Lakshadweep) Captain Lovekesh Thakur. In a PTI report, he was quoted as saying, “The island is located on traditional trade routes, it is strategically important. Because of the strategic location, specifically Minicoy, it is a place for gathering information on the shipping movement.”
He added that having a base with enhanced surveillance will be of great importance to the country and also provide as a springboard for better deployment of resources.
And with INS Jatayu on the West and INS Baaz on the east in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India’s southern area around the Indian Ocean would be covered and protected.
Interestingly, the timing of the commissioning of INS Jatayu comes at the time when plans are afoot of developing a full airport, which shall be used for civilian and military purposes. According to The Print, the airstrip will cater to both fighter jets and transport aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will be the lead agency for this project.
This is crucial as Lakshadweep has only one airstrip at Agatti but that can be used only by narrow-body aircraft.
With inputs from agencies