A Day-At-Sea For Odisha Legislators In Indian Navy Ships

Paradip: As many as 90 MLAs, an MP and state government officials participated in A Day-at-Sea onboard ships of the Eastern Fleet of Indian Navy off Paradip coast on Tuesday.

A Day-at-Sea for the guests was organised by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) as part of 50 years of victory celebrations of the 1971 Indo-Pak War to introduce the maritime domain to the people’s representatives of Odisha.

They embarked four major combatant ships of the Eastern Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The event was organised with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

The guests included Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro, Deputy Speaker Rajnikant Singh and Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik. The Naval Officer-in-Charge (Odisha) was also in attendance.

The day-long event witnessed ships Jalashwa, Shakti, Shivalik, and Sahyadri demonstrating the capability to undertake a wide spectrum of maritime operations ranging from benign roles such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions to the entire ambit of maritime conflict. Two of these ships, Shivalik and Sahyadri, have been designed and constructed indigenously, showcasing the warship building capability of the nation.

The Day-at-Sea included live demonstrations on weapon firings, combat drills, joint manoeuvres, maritime interdiction, replenishment at sea, naval aviation and search and rescue operations.

The event also holds significance considering the impetus being given to developing port facilities by the state including inland ports and associated infrastructure under the aegis of Project Sagarmala.

During the event, the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet highlighted the initiatives by the Indian Navy in working tandem with the state administration to enhance awareness of the people towards coastal security.