The government is set to approve several emergency defence purchases, cutting through bureaucratic red tape, in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attack.
Govt nod for quick purchases on emergency basis
NEW DELHI: The government is set to approve several emergency defence purchases, cutting through bureaucratic red tape, in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attack.
Authoritative sources told DNA that the government had already asked the Coast Guard to acquire offensive capabilities as part of the proposed reforms in maritime security. In the first stage, the offensive capabilities would be deployed, along with strengthened surveillance, off Bombay High, the country’s biggest offshore
oilfield, atomic power stations such as BARC, and other shore-based national
assets.
Sources said the new director general of the Coast Guard, Vice Admiral
Anil Chopra, who took charge on December 1, was informed of the decision by the defence minister. One of the first
systems to be bought off the shelf would be fast interceptor boats that can be deployed to thwart a terrorist incursion.
“The Coast Guard has been asked to go abroad, buy off the shelf,” says a senior official. “Whatever money is needed will be provided.”
He said the purchase would be done under emergency provisions used during the Kargil conflict. Citing national emergencies, the military can resort to single-tender, off-the-shelf purchases. This would help in significantly cutting down the time taken for acquisitions. During the Kargil conflict, the government had resorted to several such purchases, but many of them came in for criticism later because of the lack of transparency and delay in ultimate delivery.
In the normal course, the government has to first issue a Request for Information, based on which a Request for Proposal (or tender) is issued. Competing firms then send in their proposals, both technical and commercial, which are analysed in detail by the government. Then there are field trials, followed by the selection of one or sometimes two winners. Then the government sits down with the winner to carry out final negotiations.
All these steps take several months at the least, and several years most of the time. In case of emergency acquisitions, the service concerned can just pick up a product and order it without most of these procedures. Among other actions, the government would also beef up the coastal surveillance network with a new generation of radars. The government will also look at the possibility of reviving an old pending proposal to create a network of UAV stations that could carry out continuous surveillance of the seas
around India.
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