The third unit of Bharat Dynamics Ltd in the State, and the first in Visakhapatnam, was inaugurated here on Wednesday by G.C Pati, the Secretary (Defence Production) of the Union Ministry of Defence. BDL Chairman and Managing Director S.N Mantha participated in the programme.

V. Uday Bhaskar, the Director (Production), senior defence officials, and officials from the Navy attended the function.

The BDL, a public sector unit with its headquarters in Hyderabad, has now three units in the State - one at Kanchanbagh in Hyderabad city, the second at Bhanur in Medak district, and the third here in Visakhapatnam. Two more units are planned - one at Ibrahimpatnam in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh and the other at Amravathi in Maharashtra.

The foundation stone for the unit here was laid by the then Union Minister of state for Defence and the present Union HRD Minister, M.M Pallam Raju, in 2010. The unit will manufacture light weight torpedoes first and later heavy weight torpedoes and related weapon systems such as mines and decoys, it is stated. A sum of Rs 60 crores was spent on setting up the unit here in 10 acres near Gajuwaka.

The sales turnover of the BDL crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark during the last financial year (2012-13) and the company has forayed of late into refurbishment of vintage missiles.

The Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) here designs and develops the light weight torpedoes, the heavy weight torpedoes and the other underwater weapon systems such as mines and decoys. The BDL manufactures them.

>sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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