Kerala

Ezhimala Naval Academy is all set for inauguration

Ezhimala (Kannur district): Putting an end to the uncertainties that dogged the Rs.721.98-crore project, the world-class Indian Naval Academy (Navac) will be inaugurated here by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 8.

The first batch of the four-year B.Tech. course, which has been structured in consultation with the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), will start training at the academy from June. By then, the courses that are currently on at INS Mandovi in Goa, including the soon-to-be discontinued three-year B.Sc. entry scheme, will have got transplanted here. However, INS Valsura in the Gulf of Kutch and INS Shivaji at Lonavala will continue to impart specialised training.

It took a little over two decades for the academy to be dedicated to the nation after its foundations were laid in 1987 by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, thanks to litigation and acquisition delays. In 2005, INS Zamorin was commissioned by the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to provide the project with requisite infrastructure. “The inauguration of this world-class academy would be a tremendous achievement for the Navy as well as the people of this great State,” said Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral Sunil K. Damle, who oversees the project implementation and management.

“Such a centre of academic excellence is sure to become the envy of Asia and a source of immense pride for the State, besides providing tremendous employment opportunities for the local population,” he said.

On a promontory at the foot of seven mountains of which the majestic Mount Dilli stands taller, the academy pans out to the Arabian Sea on a verdant 2,452-acre land. It has a 22-km perimeter wherein the seafront is seven km. It has five zones; administration; training; residential complexes which are made distinguishable by distinctly painted buildings with slanting roof for sailors and civilians (780 units each in blocks of four) and officers (206 units in single and double blocks); the Kavai backwaters and forest reserve. In-living quarters are available for bachelors.

Five squadrons, namely Mulla, Angre, Marakkar, Pereira and the upcoming Chola, cater for cadet accommodation. Each squadron can house 150 cadets. An ante room in each squadron caters for cadets’ entertainment. Only Chola will accommodate foreign cadets. The expansive cadets’ mess can accommodate 900 cadets at a time. A library stacking two lakh books is under construction. Given the longevity of monsoon in the area, all squadrons and complexes have been interlinked with a roofed passage so that training does not suffer when it pours. There is indoor facility for drill and physical training as well.

The academic complex has an auditorium with a capacity of 1,736. There are 26 classrooms, 14 multi-media rooms and a lecture hall.

By next year, a Watermanship Training Centre (WTC) with facilities for kayaking, windsurfing, parasailing and rowing will also be in place. “When it becomes full-fledged around 2013, there would be 130-odd sail, power and pull boats,” said Commodore Suresh Laxman, who commands INS Zamorin.

A report "Ezhimala Naval Academy is all set for inauguration" (Kerala, January 3, 2009, page 5) said Vice-Admiral Sunil K. Damle is the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. He is the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command.

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