PM Manmohan Singh needs to break silence on issue of naval accidents: Shahnawaz Hussain

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday asked why was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh silent on the issue of frequency of naval accidents in the country.

"The number of incidents that are taking place in Navy is an issue of concern. Someone has to take the responsibility. Why is Manmohan Singh silent on the issue?" asked Hussain.

A civilian worker was killed and two were injured in an accident at the under-construction nuclear submarine at the shipbuilding centre of Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam on Saturday evening.

The incident took place when the pressure of the hydraulic tank of the Arihant class submarine was being tested and the tank's lid fell on the workers of at Building-5 of the shipbuilding center.

On Friday a Navy officer was killed in an accident on the yet to be commissioned Kolkata class destroyer that is currently undergoing trials in Mumbai after a malfunction in its fire fighting system.

The Indian Navy has been hit by a series of crippling accidents recently. Two weeks ago, two officers were killed in a fire aboard a Navy submarine INS Sindhuratna, which had been refitted and was being sea tested.