Mumbai: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tanaji — a career management centre for sailors, a database and human resources unit — was today commissioned by Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of Naval Staff, at the Mankhurd Naval Base in an eastern suburb.
With the education, expectations and demands of Indian Navy sailors being significantly greater than before, “we need to draw attention to their aspirations,” Verma said. The real strength of the Navy is its sailors, he said. “That is why we can’t afford to lose focus. Human resources management is about people and we need to retain that human touch. At the same time, we need to emphasise on the veteran community that built this edifice. That is why 2012 is dedicated as the year of servicemen.”
In another development, Defence Minister A.K. Antony will attend the commissioning of naval warship Sahyadri on July 21 at the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai.
While naval presence has normally been associated with south Mumbai, it was as early as World War II that the navy commenced its presence in the eastern suburbs with the establishment of the Naval Armament Depot in Trombay, followed by the Weapon Equipment Depot, store house of Material Organisation, production centres of Naval Dockyard, and the Bureau of Sailors. “From its origins, Mankhurd station has grown in size and presence, much like the city, into a full fledged naval station employing over 1,000 employees,” Verma said.
INS Tanaji will be a base support ship for all the allied units of this station, providing administrative and logistics support. The commissioning of Tanaji is a natural progression of the Western naval command of having an independent organisation to look after the needs of these units, an official said.
