Coast Guard to help Sri Lanka tackle pollution

Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne is on an India visit from January 29 to February 2 .

New Delhi, Jan 30: The Indian Coast Guard on Monday decided to help the Sri Lankan Navy in tackling pollution as and when requested, said an official statement.

This was decided at a meeting between Rajendra Singh, Director General, Indian Coast Guards and Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, at the Coast Guard Headquarters here. Wijegunaratne also held bilateral discussions with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and other senior officials.

He was also scheduled to meet Air Chief B.S Dhanoh, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and will call on Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre. Wijegunaratne who is on an India visit from January 29 to February 2 also visited the control centre of the coastal surveillance network and was briefed about the capabilities of the network.

Naval cooperation between India and Sri Lanka has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through bilateral exercises, Training, port calls, hydrographic co-operation, Special Forces interactions, capability building and capacity augmentation initiatives. Goa Shipyard Limited is building two Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Sri Lankan Navy.

Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne's visit follows closely on the visit of the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba's visit to Sri Lanka wherein he also participated in the 7th International Maritime Conference, Galle Dialogue 2016.

IANS