Red tape delaying building of 8 minesweepers for Navy

Even after completing the contract negotiations with a South Korean shipyard for building eight minesweepers for the Indian Navy, bureaucratic red tape and procedural wrangle over the past one year have delayed inking of the deal as the files are still doing the rounds in the Defence Ministry.

The process to acquire badly needed minesweepers for the Navy was initiated 13 years ago and the government is yet to sign the deal with South Korean firm Kangam, which had emerged as the lowest bidder.

As a result, Navy’s wait to add to its already depleted strength of minesweepers still continues and the already negotiated deal, estimated Rs. 24,000 crore, appears to be in a state of limbo.

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