MANGALURU: Indian Coast Guard’s long standing ambition to set up a Coast Guard academy – in Karnataka – moved a step closer to reality. A Tweet from the public relations officer, ministry of defence, Bengaluru stated: “India’s first Coast Guard academy to come up at Mangaluru. 158 acres KIADB land taken over for setting up #ICGAcademy. A milestone towards professional maritime training to ICG officers & men & stakeholders.”

The initial plan was to set up the Academy at Azhikkal in Kerala. However, Coast Guard dropped the plan after the ministry of environment and forest denied environment and Coastal Regulation Zone clearances for the project as it fell in a CRZ-1(A) area where no construction is allowed. A K Anthony, then defence minister had laid the foundation stone for the Azhikkal project in May 2011 and things did not move till 2019.

It was Nirmala Sitharaman, then defence minister who decided to move the project after MoEF nixed the Azhikkal project to her adopted state of Karnataka. She represents the state in the Rajya Sabha. The initial project placed the ICGA on 164-acre land near Valapattanam estuary at Azhikkal in Kannur district. It is located about 20 km south of Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. The two maritime academies were expected to share resources.

DIG V K Vijay Kumar, spokesperson, ICG told STOI that Coast Guard personnel need to undergo a lot of professional training as per their charter of duties. “We deal with search and rescue, pollution response, coastal security and deal with 15 to 18 different ministries and departments in discharge of our duties. The Academy is a long felt need that is finally materialising with transfer of land to Indian Coast Guard,” he said.

At present, Coast Guard is training its personnel through an in-house trained set of officers at a small facility at Kochi. There is a lot of demand from friendly nations who are keen to send their officers for training at our Kochi facility. We are not able to do so, he said. Noting that the initial training for Coast Guard personnel happens with Indian Navy, Vijay Kumar said the Academy will help the maritime force impart specialised training.