Losing five sailors, ship not acceptable: Parrikar

A more detailed inquiry had been initiated into the drowning of five naval personnel after an Indian naval vessel sank off the Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh earlier this week, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here Friday.

"Losing the lives of five naval personnel and the ship in less than one year is unacceptable," Parrikar told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the defence ministry operated Goa Shipyard Limited in Vasco, 40 km from here.

"Therefore, I have asked that a more detailed inquiry be conducted. I have also asked to see if the vessel can be salvaged and re-floated," Parrikar said.

Five naval personnel had drowned along with the Torpedo Rescue vessel, following which a Board of Inquiry had been initiated by the naval authorities.

Obliquely criticising his predecessor, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) defence minister A.K. Antony for inaction while serving as defence minister, Parrikar said a clean image at the cost of sluggish decision-making was simply not good enough.

"It's important to have a clean image. But it's not right to seek to keep the image clean by simply not doing anything or refraining from taking any decisions," Parrikar said.

"As long as your heart is clean...and as long as your own conscience believes what you are doing is right, then there's no need to worry.

"Although government procedures are heaped in red tape these procedures can be completed fast," the minister said.

He said a lot of defence ministry related matters have remained in limbo over the past seven to eight years due to indecision by the UPA government.

Using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Make in India' as a guiding light Parrikar also said that he would try to double the production capacity of the shipyard in one year.