The contract for the acquisition of a new Passenger Variant Dornier (PVD) Aircraft was signed, this afternoon, between the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Om Kumar Dabidin, and the Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip, at the New Government Centre, Port-Louis.
The Mauritius Police Force has received, on 9 September 2021, a PVD on lease from the Government of India. It will be officially handed over to the Government of Mauritius in a ceremony at the Maritime Air Squadron, Plaisance, on 13 September 2021.
In a statement, Mr Dabidin underlined that the contract signed today will be exchanged between the Indian High Commissioner and the Government of Mauritius at the handing over ceremony on 13 September 2021.
The inclusion of the PVD in the National Coast Guard (NCG) will boost the capabilities of the force multi-fold and will extend a stronger helping hand to citizens in the outer islands. This PVD will remain at the service of the Republic of Mauritius until the arrival of a new PVD which is under procurement from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, India, as part of the Line of Credit from the Government of India.
The NCG operates Dornier aircrafts which are multirole aircrafts capable of undertaking surveillance, Outer Island Support, Search and Rescue, pollution response, and law enforcement missions in armed configuration. The NCG Dorniers have undertaken critical medical and casualty evacuation missions involving saving of lives of citizens of Rodrigues and Agalega, especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the NCG has been instrumental in transferring basic necessity items to these islands including lifesaving critical medical drugs and vaccines whilst also completing its other assigned roles of surveillance, Search and Rescue, and law enforcement.
The Indian Navy has contributed significantly to making this lease possible by sparing an aircraft, at the request of the Mauritian government, until the NCG receives the new PVD aircraft. This sophisticated aircraft will not only further strengthen the bonds between the two countries, but also serve as an example of camaraderie between the Indian Navy and the Mauritius Police Force.
