INS Trata to make way for two residential towers for naval officers

Mumbai: With the air defence unit of the Indian Navy in Worli, INS Trata, being rendered partially useless due to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, it has been decided that two residential towers will be constructed in its place.

In March, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) held a meeting regarding the same with the Indian Navy and cleared the minutes in the first week of April.

Retired Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha said, “People in the defence field know what is stored inside. Missiles cannot be fired anymore from INS Trata, hence, two 29-storeyed towers will be constructed here. However, storage, preparation and dispatch of air battery units should continue to happen in those residential buildings.’’

The two towers – with 29 storeys each on an area of 5.4 acres and a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 2.37 – will be constructed specifically for married Naval officers.

The Western Naval Command is the largest Command Headquarters of the Indian Navy with its Area Headquarters in south Mumbai to meet operational and administrative requirements.

As per authorization in Scales of Accommodation for Defence Services 2022, Colaba Naval Station has considerable deficiency to accommodate married sailors. Currently, they manage by sharing rooms.

The Defence spokesperson confirmed that they were building two towers for married sailors at INS Trata to tackle the “shortage of accommodation in South Mumbai.”

Earlier, the hillock was used for keeping air defence batteries, however, after the construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, it is difficult to use those during emergencies to protect the city.

“Since the INS Trata is on a hillock, a lot of the land will have to be levelled. The Navy had imposed a lot of height restrictions for development in Worli due to the INS Trata,” said another retired naval officer.