Nov/30/2011

Navy concerned over armed Iranian ship in EEZ

The prolonged stay of an armed ship in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a matter of concern, said Vice-Admiral K.N. Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command.

Addressing the media aboard the Navy's First Training Squadron ship INS Tir ahead of the Navy Day celebrations, the Vice-Admiral said that Iranian ship MV Assa, anchored about 160 nautical miles west of Kochi for a few weeks now, was under round-the-clock monitoring by the Navy.

“The ship has on-board machineguns [ostensibly to thwart] the menace of piracy. It is in international waters and has not violated any law. We can't do anything so long as there is no EEZ violation. The Ministry of Defence, which is seized of the matter, has launched a protest against the Iranians… We are keeping a close watch and if it does something that impinges on our security then we will act. An armed ship in our EEZ is a matter of concern,” Vice-Admiral Sushil said in response to a query.

(Up to 12 nautical miles from the shore is India's territorial waters where the internal laws of the land apply. However, the area within the EEZ, which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast, are international shipping lanes. While India holds the right to exploit the marine resources in its EEZ, it can't disrupt commercial shipping along the sea lines of communication).

According to Navy sources, the concern raised by India's maritime security agencies stems from the fact that the Iranian ship, the second in India's EEZ to come under the scanner in recent times, could be here to discharge hazardous toxic waste. “Several boats frequently visit the ship, deliver cargo and return,” they said.

On the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) under construction at the Cochin Shipyard, Vice-Admiral Sushil said that it was not ready for its first launch since ‘some equipment is not ready'. “[However], the CSL wants to get her out of dry-dock; it wants to float her out in whatever condition it is in for outfitting. As for the date of launch, nothing has been firmed up yet and the CSL and the MoD are discussing it,” he said when asked if it would be launched in March next.

Disaster management

To a question on the Navy's preparedness to manage the disaster resulting from a breach of the Mullaperiyar dam, the Vice-Admiral said that the quantum of disaster would decide the Navy's response. “We have a trained manpower and have post-Tsunami disaster relief bricks put in place …. But we can't guess the extent of damage it [a Mullaperiyar collapse] will cause… It is a concern to me as it is to anyone else. It is of greater worry to the people living close to it [the dam],” he said.

Earlier, the Vice-Admiral hoped that the steps taken by the political leadership of the State and the Defence Minister would help the country find a way out of the Mullaperiyar imbroglio.

Day in Pictures —Eminent litterateur Indira Goswami passes away November 29, 2011

Coal delay will switch off new power plants: Montek

Warning that delayed forest clearance for captive mines could adversely impact development and financing of a large number of power projects, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said India risks missing the 1,00,000-MW capacity addition target for the 12th Plan.

In his assessment report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said many thermal plants currently under implementation, including the ambitious ultra mega power projects, were dependent on allotted captive coal mines, which have yet to get forest clearance. “This does not affect power production immediately but it will do so a few years down the line.” It would also have an immediate effect on investor sentiment in the power generation sector and on financing for power generation.

“Unless the problem is resolved quickly, the 12th Plan target of 1,00,000 MW will not be attainable,” says the report, a copy of which is with The Hindu.The assessment has been done by Mr. Ahluwalia on being asked by the Prime Minister to identify urgent issues in the power sector which need immediate action. Dr. Ahluwalia has listed eight issues which require action by different Ministries.

He said the matter was currently under the consideration of the Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, and decisions needed to be expedited. “The Ministry of Environment and Forests [MoEF] needs to be persuaded to take a more reasonable position to avoid disruption in power supply from plants that are in process. Even if we want to be tough in future — and we should be — we should recognise that we face a transition problem. There is a good case for clearing a number of coal mines now with suitable compensatory steps for enhanced afforestation to offset the damage done. This will ensure that power plants currently being constructed are not obstructed, while a better provision can be made for plants in future,” says the assessment note.

Interestingly, in a related report to the Prime Minister, Planning Commission member (Energy) B.K. Chaturvedi has recommended doing away with the contentious “Go-No-Go” concept. (The Go-No-Go system limits mining for coal, with activity in areas of dense forest banned entirely.) This has been the bone of contention between the MoEF and the Ministries of Coal and Power, the latter two seeking removal of this definition. The report has also called for simultaneous processing for environment and forest clearance, doing a proper scrutiny of applications to make sure that all papers have been submitted and setting up a nodal agency at the State level with adequate staff to ensure forest clearance.

The Chaturvedi Committee has said captive plants could approach the MoEF for consideration of cases on this approach.