KOCHI: At a time when its counterpart in Mumbai is busy taking steps to block high-rises near their defence installations, Souther..
KOCHI: At a time when its counterpart in Mumbai is busy taking steps to block high-rises near their defence installations, Southern Naval Command (SNC) in Kochi seems to be least bothered about taking such precautionary measures.
Recently, the Western Naval Command wrote to the Ministry of Defence asking it to invoke the Works of Defence Act 1903 (WOD) to restrict the construction of new buildings at a particular distance. Reports said the Western Naval Command wants to block new buildings within 500m of its installations.Sources said the MoD has been considering the demand by the Western Command. If the Ministry accedes to the demand, there will not be any highrises within a radius of 500m. It has also been pointed out that implementing the Act would mean blocking developmental projects near the command.
Defence Standing Committee chairman Satpal Maharaj told Express that the demand was made to ensure security of defence installations. "They must have written from their own perspective as people from highrises can watch activities within the defence area and that can pose a threat to sensitive areas. The Defence Ministry would be looking into it and will respond accordingly," he said. Interestingly, no similar step has been taken by the naval establishments in Kochi to ensure the security of its installations.The Southern Naval Command, however, refused to comment on the issue. Kochi has a number of major defence establishments like the NAD and the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), in addition to the Southern Naval Command. INS Dronacharya under the Southern Command is situated in a largely residential area in Fort Kochi.
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