Now, six to eight pilots will be stationed at the base, said officials. (File) The Coast Guard base at Ratnagiri in Konkan on Saturday received two advanced light helicopters (ALH). Now, six to eight pilots will be stationed at the base, said officials.
“During the flood last July, the Coast Guard could not respond immediately, as it had no helicopter or plane stationed at Ratnagiri or Mumbai. Now, we can immediately respond in case of a crisis in Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg. Earlier, planes or helicopters had to be sent from Daman or Goa in case of a crisis here,” said a senior officer.
The base at Ratnagiri was planned in 2005 and things gathered momentum after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. While the state government handed over one airstrip to the Coast Guard in Ratnagiri, where it was planned to station Dornier reconnaissance planes and Chetak helicopters, the plan never took off. The base had been lying unused.
The Coast Guard had a squadron of Chetak helicopters at INS Shikra in Colaba, but it had to be shifted to Daman.
“The Coast Guard is constructing a hangar at Juhu airport in Mumbai, where two Chetak helicopters will be kept to respond to emergencies. In the next few years, these will be replaced by ALHs,’’ said Inspector General Bhisham Sharma, in charge of the Coast Guard aviation wing.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
