Indian Navy's second VLF radar station foundation laid in Telangana

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for the Indian Navy's Very Low Frequency (VLF) radar station in the Damagudem forest area on Tuesday. This marks the Navy's second VLF communication transmission station in India, following the establishment of the INS Kattabomman Radar Station in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. Present at the event were Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and other dignitaries. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy expressed pride in the project's importance to national security during a media briefing in Hyderabad.

Addressing allegations made by BRS leader K T Rama Rao regarding the potential ecological impact of the radar station in Vikarabad district, Reddy stated that it was the previous K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government that had granted land and permissions for the project. He noted that in December 2017, the Telangana government’s Forest and Environment Department approved the clearance for 2,900 acres of land in the Dhamagundam Forest area.

Reddy pointed out that the project was conceptualized in 2010 during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister. He mentioned that while some trees would need to be cut down for the radar center, the Defence Ministry had deposited Rs 130 crore with the Forest Department for this purpose.

In response to Rama Rao's claim that 12 lakh trees would be felled, Reddy clarified that no construction would occur in 1,500 acres of the designated land, assuring that not a single plant would be removed from that portion. He added that accommodations for naval staff would be built in some sections of the land. Reddy urged political parties to refrain from creating controversies surrounding the project