Date:30/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113054020500.htm

Kerala - Kochi

Ezhimala naval academy inauguration in January

Staff Reporter

Kochi: The naval academy at Ezhimala will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the second week of January and training of cadets for B.Tech course will commence on June 27.

“Once fully functional, the academy will be an engineering college with state-of-the-art facilities with accreditation from the AICTE and Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi will award the degree,” said Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command (Training Command) Vice-Admiral Sunil K. Damle at a media interaction here on Thursday. He said 750 trainees, including foreign cadets, would train at the academy at any given time. At present, 257 foreign officers from 17 friendly foreign countries were undergoing training at various navy training establishments spread over seven States.

On the under-construction Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), he said the keel-laying of the Vikrant class vessel would take place in early January. “It is expected to be operational in 2013 as the construction is in keeping with the time-line.”