Coast Guard taken for a ride

Sometimes it is great fun when one knows the inside story and allows others to play the game of deception.

Coast Guard taken for a ride

Sometimes it is great fun when one knows the inside story and allows others to play the game of deception.
This is more prominent when it comes to the sailors and the sea. They believe others don't know what is happening in a domain which is not known to a common people.

It was November 5 when the Coast Guard's Director General Rear Admiral Anil Chopra was taken for a ride, not really. It happened in the presence of more than 80 journalists who were taken out to sea to witness an exercise.

The entire sequence of events went virtually unnoticed. Had it not been for a petty navik, who disclosed the closely guarded secret unknowingly, we would have figuratively been at sea about it.

The DG was flown in a Chetak helicopter to CGS Samrat soon after he landed in Mumbai. Minutes later he boarded an interceptor (C 143) (small boat) before he was ushered on board the main ship CGS Sankalp.

In my past ten years at sea, I know one thing for sure that DGs don't like to get hassled and sail from one ship to the other in interceptors or small boats. It is common practice for the chief to land on the main ship in a helicopter with great fanfare and in the presence of the press. Heavily-built Chopra made the extra trip, which was fairly unpleasant.

It took me a few minutes to put things together. The Coast Guard ship Sankalp, which is the latest advanced offshore patrol vessel (AOPV), was not ready for landing of even light helicopters like Chetak.

This is mainly because of Halo Traction Gear (HTG) fitted on the helicopter deck to cart the helicopter into the hanger. The HTG measuring about four inches high and two feet wide was built without proper sanctions and planning at the cost of Rs 8 crore. The raised height was preventing helicopters from landing on CGS Sankalp.

The HTG has come under a cloud after a PIL has been filed in a New Delhi court. A few heads could roll if the press learnt about it, was the fear among the top brass.

I walked up to Deputy Inspector General Navdeep Raj, who was around. His theory was the helicopter with Admiral Chopra was diverted because journalists are on board CGS Sankalp.

Defence chief spokesperson M Nambiar had a better story. According to him, DG Chopra owed a visit to the captain of CGS Samrat, which is why he landed on his ship first. J Dey is Headu2013Investigations, MiD DAY