The site of the Indian Navy’s strategic VLF station with township near Vikarabad in Telangana | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Only 1,500 trees of 1.95 lakh will be affected for VLF radar station in Vikarabad, will be translocated: Kishan Reddy

BJP condemns KTR’s ‘double speak’ on Indian Navy’s VLF facility

15 Oct 2024, 08:56 by The Hindu Bureau · The Hindu

Union Minister for Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy, also the Telangana BJP president, has clarified that 1,500 acres of the 2,900 acres of the Damagundam forest land in Vikarabad will be left “untouched with not a single plant harmed” for the proposed new Very Low Frequency (VLF) station of the Indian Navy.

1,500 trees of 1.95 lakh in the designated area to be affected, will be translocated

“There are 1.95 lakh trees in the designated area of which only 1,500 trees will be affected and these will be translocated as the space will be used for building accommodation for the naval personnel. About ₹134 crore was handed over Telangana Forest department for new plantations and for the land,” he told a press conference at the state office on Tuesday.

“BRS leaders led by former Minister K.T. Rama Rao have been resorting to false propaganda and irresponsible double talk about lakhs of trees being felled or a temple being affected. Will KTR agitate against his own father’s government as it has given necessary government orders allocating the forest land and giving permission for the facility by 2017 itself?” questioned Mr. Kishan Reddy.

Necessary statutory and green approvals obtained to hand over forest land

The Union Minister has pointed out that the second VLF naval facility (first was opened in 1990 at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu), which was originally conceived during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure in 2010, had obtained all the necessary statutory and green approvals to hand over the forest land by both the Centre and then State Government after several discussions and exchange of correspondence.

“Indian Navy has waited for 14 long years for the project to be conceived after detailed planning and on giving numerous clarifications. So, it is not fair to politicise the project or spread canards. It is obvious that wherever the armed forces have bases, there is more greenery and protection of ecology,” he explained.

The site is appropriate location for communicating with Indian Navy’s ships and submarines

“The Indian Navy has expressed regrets over the disinformation being spread across the project and said the site was chosen as it was found to be secure and an appropriate location for communicating with its ships and submarines. It is matter of nation’s security and safety where everyone should rise above partisan interests. People of Telangana have always been in support of the armed forces and they should condemn false propaganda for selfish political interests?,” said Mr. Kishan Reddy.

Startling revelation