New Delhi: Once again the lacklustre attitude of the government against the armed forces has been highlighted. The recent INS Sindhuratna mishap has brought to the fore a startling revelation that the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government had ignored the warning issued by the Indian Navy in 2010 that the country's submarine fleet was depleting and was in a poor condition.
The Indian Navy, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had categorically stated that the the submarine fleet would dwindle down to 5-6 by the end of 2015, as per reports. The Navy had also warned the government about the functioning of the ageing submarines.
India is currently manufacturing six scorpene submarines at the Mazgaon Dockyards Limited, but the first one will only be operational by 2015 end.
Seven Indian Navy personnel were injured and two were killed after smoke filled a compartment in the INS Sindhuratna submarine that was under water. The submarine was undergoing sea trials 50 nautical miles (80 km) off Mumbai in the Arabian Sea when the incident happened.
The Indian Navy has been hit by a series of accidents in the past few months, raising concerns about its safety standards and operational preparedness.
The biggest accident involved fire on the INS Sindhurakshak and the subsequent sinking of the submarine in the Mumbai harbour on August 14 last year. All the 18 personnel on board were killed in the incident.
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