A week before sub tragedy, Navy started process for buying recovery system

A week before explosions and fire wrecked INS Sindhurakshak in Mumbai, claiming the lives of all 18 aboard, the government took the first step towards purchasing a crucial system that could help rescue submariners trapped underwater.

The Defence Ministry issued an RFI, or request for information, for a ‘Submarine Rescue Bell System with LARS’ on August 6, after over a dozen years of deliberation.

“It is a glaring omission that the government did not invest in a deep submergence rescue vessel (DSRV). As far as I can recall, the Navy’s request for procuring such a vessel goes back to at least 14 years,” Commodore (retd.) C. Uday Bhaskar, a noted strategic affairs analyst, told The Hindu.

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