Navy chief takes stock of relief work in Andhra

Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan Tuesday took stock of the relief work by the navy in the aftermath of cyclone Hudhud which hit Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam city and other coastal areas.

He said the navy will do its best to respond to the situation through the Eastern Naval Command, with the aim of not only attending to the needs of the naval base and personnel, but also the entire city of Visakhapatnam and its citizens.

Navy officials said over ten ships are ready to sail with relief material towards Visakhapatnam while four more ships have been kept ready for sailing at short notice for relief operations.

The officials also said 24 diving teams have been deployed in and around Visakhapatnam.

Damage assessment sorties are being carried out by long range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft P8I and Dorniers.

"The navy assets will be deployed on the basis of assessment," said an official.

The runway at the navy's airfield at Dega was made operational for flying last evening. Both runways at Dega had been flooded and damaged.

Efforts are also on to get the naval base at Visakhapatnam back to its operational status as soon as possible.

The navy chief is attending the second edition of the bi-annual Naval Commanders' Conference which started here Tuesday.

Senior naval commanders will also discuss several important issues, including sustaining combat readiness, building capabilities for the future and addressing human resource challenges which are also the "thrust areas" of the navy.

Among other issues, deliberations would also be held on the means to enhance battle space and maritime domain awareness.