Telangana transfers forest land for Navy's second VLF station

Commodore Karthik Shankar, Circle DEO Rohit Bhupathi and Captain Sandeep Das met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, following which, the Telangana government transferred 1,174 hectares of forest land under the Damagudem Reserve Forest in Vikarabad district to the Indian Navy to set up India's second very Low Frequency (VLF) radar station.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has transferred 1,174 hectares of forest land in Vikarabad district for the Indian Navy’s Very Low Frequency (VLF) communication transmission station. The Navy uses VLF communication transmission stations to communicate with ships and submarines. This station will be set up in Damagudem forest area near Puduru of Vikarabad mandal and will be completed in 2027, according to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Commodore Karthik Shankar, Circle DEO Rohit Bhupathi and Captain Sandeep Das met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday. The officials of Vikarabad DFO and Naval Command Agency signed the agreement for transfer of forest lands. This will be the second such station in the country. INS Kattabomman Radar Station at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu was the first of its kind and has been serving the Navy since 1990.

The Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam has already identified Telangana as a suitable area for setting up a second radar station. Since 2010, the Navy has been in touch with the state government. Despite all the environmental permits and clearances, the allotment of land did not proceed due to the negligence of the previous government, the CMO said adding that with the special initiative of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, all the obstacles to this project were removed.

The Union Forest and Environment Department approved the Navy's proposals in 2014. Campa funds of Rs 133.54 crore for handing over forest land have been paid. The Navy has also paid Rs 18.56 crore for the works undertaken for land conservation measures. The Damagudem Forest Protection Joint Action Committee had filed a petition in court seeking to cancel this project.

The court has issued orders to take all precautions in accordance with the conditions decided by the government. Along with the navy station, the township would have schools, hospitals, banks and markets. This naval unit will consist of around 600 naval personnel and other civilians. About 2,500 to 3,000 people will live in this township.

Adequate measures would be taken to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance in the region through extensive planting. As a part of this project, about 27 km of road will be constructed around Damagundam Reserve Forest, the CMO added.

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