TS, Navy ink pact for VLF centre in Vikarabad

Telangana state can now boast of being the sole state in India hosting premier training institutes for all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces — the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Indian Navy has selected Telangana as the key base for establishing its second Very Low-Frequency (VLF) communication transmission station in Vikarabad. 

An MoU for the setup of the VLF radar centre was signed between officials of the Eastern Naval Command and state government forest officials in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat on Thursday.

Hyderabad already houses the Indian Army's Artillery Centre near Golconda Fort, specialising in Agniveer training, while the city is also home to the Indian Air Force's Air Force Academy in Dundigal, dedicated to pilot training. The VLF communication transmission station, crucial for naval communication with ships and submarines, will be established in the Damagudem forest area near Puduru in Vikarabad mandal. 

This marks the second such station in the country, with the INS Kattabomman Radar Station in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, being the first since 1990. The Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam identified Telangana as a suitable area for the second radar station.

Since 2010, the Indian Navy has been in discussions with the state government for the radar station's setup. Chief Minister A.



Revanth Reddy's special initiative facilitated the removal of obstacles, which had stalled the project under the previous administration. Commodore Karthik Shankar, Circle DEO Rohit Bhupathi, and Captain Sandeep Das met with the Chief Minister on Wednesday to finalise the details.

An agreement for the transfer of forest lands was signed between Vikarabad District Forest Officer and Naval Command Agency officials. The Navy has been allocated 1,174 hectares of forest land under the Damagudem Reserve Forest. Union Forest and Environment Department approved the Navy's proposals in 2014. Campa funds of Rs133.54 crore were allocated for forest land handover, and the Navy paid Rs 18.56 crore for land conservation measures. 

Despite a petition filed by Damagudem Forest Protection in court to cancel the project, the court has issued orders to proceed with precautions according to government-defined conditions. The naval unit's township, featuring schools, hospitals, banks, and markets, will accommodate approximately 600 naval personnel and civilians. Strict measures will be implemented to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance in the region, including extensive planting. 

As part of the project, approximately 27 km of roads will be constructed around Damagundam Reserve Forest, with the new VLF centre expected to be completed by 2027.