A ‘Day-at-Sea’ for the State’s MLAs was organised onboard ships of the Eastern Fleet of Indian Navy off the Paradip coast on Tuesday as part of the 50 glorious years of victory of the 1971 Indo-Pak War celebrations and aimed to introduce the maritime domain to the peoples’ representatives.
A total of 90 MLAs and a Member of Parliament along with officials from the State and district administrations embarked on four major combatant ships of the Eastern Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The event was held with strict adherence to the Covid-19 Protocols. Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro, Deputy Speaker Rajnikant Singh, Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik and Ministers among other MLAs embarked onboard the ships. The Naval Officer-in-Charge (Odisha) was also in attendance.
The event witnessed participation of IN Ships Jalashwa, Shakti, Shivalik and Sahyadri, collectively demonstrating the capability to undertake a wide spectrum of maritime operations ranging from benign roles such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions to the entire ambit of maritime conflict. The Day-at-Sea included live demonstrations on weapon firings, combat drills, joint manoeuvres, maritime interdiction, replenishment at sea, naval aviation and search and rescue operations (SAR). The event also held significance considering the impetus being given to developing port facilities by the state including inland ports and associated infrastructure under the aegis of Project Sagarmala.