How a DMK minister's 'mishandling' led to Sriharikota getting Isro spaceport
Criticising the DMK government in Tamil Nadu over its Isro ad 'blunder', BJP leader Annamalai recounted an incident from the 1960s when the state lost the opportunity to host Isro's first spaceport because of the inefficiency of a DMK minister. Here's the history of it.
Recently, a DMK minister embarrassed his party's government in Tamil Nadu by printing an advertisement in local newspapers featuring a rocket with the five-star red flag of China.
The advertisement, issued by Fisheries Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan, was to celebrate the foundation stone laying of the Isro spaceport in Kulasekarapattinam. The ad, which featured pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister MK Stalin, also inadvertently showcased a computer-generated rocket emblazoned with the Chinese national flag.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai criticised the DMK government, calling it a "manifestation of DMK's commitment to China".
In his autobiography 'Ready to fire: How India and I survived the Isro spy case', scientist Nambi Narayanan mentions how Sriharikota became the choice for Isro's spaceport.
Narayanan writes that Sriharikota was not even Isro's first choice for launchpads. According to him, senior Isro scientist RM Vasagam had identified two sites for the spaceport, both in Tamil Nadu.
"For launching polar satellites, it was clear to us, our launch pad has to be on the eastern coast. Launching the rocket along the spin of the earth, it gave a huge advantage of cost; also by manoeuvring the rocket to the south after its initial eastward journey, we avoid flying over any landmass," Narayanan writes.
"The coastline of Kanyakumari was considered in the late 1960s, but a terrible mishandling by the government of Tamil Nadu, and a timely pitch by Andhra Pradesh, made Sriharikota happen," he added.
According to Nambi Narayanan, then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CN Annadurai was to participate in a discussion with Vikram Sarabhai and a few scientists to identify a site from a shortlist proposed by Vikram Sarabhai.
However, Annadurai could not attend the meeting due to severe shoulder pain. In his place, he sent one of his ministers, Mathiyazhagan, to attend the meeting.
According to Nambi Narayanan, Mathiyazhagan kept Sarabhai waiting, and when he eventually arrived for the meeting, he was not in his senses.
"Sarabhai was kept waiting, and after sometime, the minister was ‘brought’ to the meeting — with a few holding him from falling. The politician irritated Sarabhai no end with his impossible demands and incoherence. Much before the meeting got over, Sarabhai had decided Tamil Nadu is not the place to be," Nambi Narayanan mentions in his book.
Around the same time, Andhra Pradesh made an offer to Isro which, according to Nambi Narayanan, it "could not refuse".
"Take the 26,000-acre Sriharikota island, he (Andhra Pradesh Governor) told Sarabhai," writes Nambi Narayanan.
Narayanan writes how the Andhra Pradesh government realised that with India’s rocket launchpad coming up, the sparsely inhabited Sriharikota might see some development.
"Today, a rocket lifting off, spewing fire and smoke reflected on the Pulicat Lake, where migratory flamingoes come to roost is quite a sight," he writes.
Thus, the Sriharikota Range (SHAR) was established in the coastal town in Andhra Pradesh on October 1, 1971.
It was renamed Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in September 2005 in honour of Satish Dhawan, who was a prominent Indian aerospace engineer and the Chairman of the Isro from 1972 to 1984.
Even as Tamil Nadu prepares to host India's second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam, the state government's advertisement fiasco brought back memories from 60 years ago when it lost the opportunity to host the country's first spaceport because of a DMK minister.
Source:
https://www.indiatoday.in/history-o...kram-sarabhai-dmk-minister-2508871-2024-03-01
