Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 04 2008:
MANIPUR GOVERNMENT'S insistence for supply of three hover-crafts for counter-insurgency offensive in Loktak lake has been finally agreed to by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, official sources said here today.
Apart from this, the Ministry has also agreed to sanction funds required for buying the three hover-crafts.
The state government will soon finalise the brand of hover-crafts to be procured within the fortnight and will send the amount to the hover-crafts company, the sources further revealed.
The hover-craft-1000, which would be a great help in flushing out the underground insurgence taking shelter in the Loktak lake, is to be purchased by the state government under the police modernization scheme 2008-09 .
After the state government considered the matter at several meetings, the state cabinet had given approval for buying the same.
The total cost of the three hover-craft-1000 has been estimated at Rs 2,240.35 lakh and the same has already been released by the MHA.
Earlier, in order to purchase these boat or ship equipments, officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs had in September this year visited hover-craft companies in German, Italy and USA.
But which brand should be purchased is yet to be finalized, the sources said.
Source also expressed believed that the hover-crafts which can be used in both water and land can effectively utilize in the counter-insurgency operations in Loktak water and phumdis (floating bio-mass) by the state police.
The same is to be used under the supervision of the Central Inland Water Transport.
Hover-craft has a speed of 60 kilometer per hour ad currently the same is in use in countering with ULFA in Assam and Sino-Indian border by the security forces.
With regard to the state government proposal for buying the same, officials of the MHA had also visited the state in the recent time.
The state government is also planning to impart training on the use of the hover-craft to selected 50 personnel of the state police commandos ad on how to fight with the insurgents taking refuge at the bushes of the phumdis in Loktak lake.
The same will be converted into action at the earliest, the source maintained.