Admiral Nirmal Verma, who took over as the new chief of the Indian Navy Monday, said that the delays in various projects like refurbishment of Russian-built Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier and the production of French Scorpene submarines in Indian dockyards will be taken care of.
Verma took over from Admiral Sureesh Mehta at a ceremony here.
"About the aircraft carrier programme in Russia (refurbishment of Gorshkov), we have to ensure that all the discussions (on the pricing and the nature of work) are completed and construction work there is in full swing," Verma told reporters after the taking over.
The Indian Navy will be inducting Admiral Gorshkov as INS Vikramaditya around 2012. The Russians have been escalating the cost of the refurbishment of the carrier and have been pushing back the delivery date of the platform.
"The Scorpene project has to progress at a greater pace," Verma added.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony has also admitted that the submarine project has been stuck in delays.
Outlining his priorities, Verma said his emphasis will be on consolidating and sustaining the growth of the navy with attention to indigenisation and the acquisition of the long range P8-I maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing.
A specialist in communication and electronic warfare, Verma's sea tenures include commands of frigate INS Udaygiri, destroyer INS Ranvir and aircraft carrier INS Viraat.