DGI/DGQA Chennai - The early stages

'''Directorate General of Inspection Complex of India – Chennai (DGI/DGQA): Early Stages Initiated and Developed by Late Cdr. V. Narayan Raju (IN) BE(1st Class), MIEE (USA), FIE (India)'''

After attaining independence in 1947, the Indian Navy made a modest beginning to indigenise stores for old ships inherited from the Royal Navy. Accordingly a Technical Cell at Naval Dockyard, Bombay was created in 1950 and the effort to indigenize for self-sufficiency saw the development of the Directorate General of Inspection Complex of India – Chennai (DGI/DGQA).

Contents 1 Early Developments

2 Challenges

3 Origin of QA Establishment (Naval)

4 Writeup about the Officer who worked on the initial project

5 References

Early Developments: In 1958, R&D was separated from Inspection and Directorate of Technical Development (DTD) was reorganized into five new Directorates, viz. Armament, Engineering, General, Electronics and Directorate of Stores Production (Navy). The Naval Directorate evolved from the Technical Cell of Naval dockyard and functioned with NHQ. In Mar 1963, CGDP was designated as the Controller General of Inspection and Planning (CGIP). In Aug 1963, the Planning Cell of CGIP was placed directly under Secretary (DP) and CGIP was designated as Director General of Inspection (DGI). During the said restructuring, the Directorate of Stores Production (Navy) was transferred from Navy and brought under DGI as Directorate of Development and Inspection (Marine Stores), (DDI (MS)).

Challenges: In order to meet the challenges of indigenous warship building, DDI (MS) was augmented with creation of Directorate of Warship Projects (DWP). In 1969 DDI(MS) was designated as Directorate of Production and Inspection Quality Assurance Establishment (Naval), Chennai

Origin of QA Establishment (Naval): The origin of Quality Assurance Establishment (Naval), Chennai can be traced back to 11 Jul 1969, when Production and Inspection Establishment (Naval), PIE (N) was raised under the Directorate of Production & Inspection (Naval). The main charter of duties of the establishment then was to carry out an industrial survey to identify potential manufacturers capable of supplying equipment and stores to the Indian Navy.

A write-up about the officer who worked on developing the DGQA complex - Late Cdr. V. Narayan Raju : An alumnus of Defense Institute Mussoorie, Admiralty Compass Observatory Slough UK, HMS Collingwood UK, Cdr V. Narayan Raju was awarded the Sangram Medal, Paschim Star and Poorvi Star during India-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 respectively was also in service in the 1962 India-China war. Cdr V. Narayan Raju’s last Naval posting was at Madras as the first OIC – PIEN a defence initiative to indigenize weapons systems under the Ministry of Defence Production. During his tenure the Directorate General of Inspection Complex at Meenambakkam was constructed – he expired while in service in September 1974 at the age of 46 when preparations were underway for the inauguration by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It is perhaps a great coincidence that his father Late Rao Bahadur P V Raju (ISE) BE(Hons), FIE(India) had been the Superintending Engineer for construction of the Meenambakkam Madras Airport in 1942. The two mega projects by the father and son viz. Madras Airport and the DGI/DGQA Complex are diagonally across the road separated by the National Highway NH-45 and these were both their final projects of their illustrious careers. The quality of the projects is self-evident in that those early projects to develop the National Infrastructure are in full use even today.

Earlier on during his schooling at the Doon School – Dehra Dun, a Lifesaving Gold medal was awarded by the Royal Life Saving Society in October 1942 to V. Narayan Raju. He completed his Intermediate (1st Class) from Loyola College, BE (1st Class) from College of Engineering Guindy, Madras during which period he represented his college in Tennis, swimming and boxing was awarded the University blue in Boxing and swimming, after which he joined the Indian Navy and was posted to UK for the Commonwealth Naval Electrical Engineering Course. In 1959 just weeks before leaving for the UK Lt V. Narayan Raju married Damara Chellamamba Indira Devi (daughter of Zamindar of Urandur Late Sri D.V. Narayanaswamy, and grand-daughter of the Raja of Panagal – Late Raja Sir P. Rama Rayaningar KCIE, Star of India).

In England in 1959-60 Lt V. Narayan Raju after the results of the Commonwealth Naval Electrical Engineering Course were declared – Lt V. Narayan Raju stood first. Between 1961 and 1964 Lt Cdr V. Narayan Raju was the Director at the Weapons & Equipment Directorate at Naval HQ New Delhi. During 1965 Lt Cdr V. Narayan Raju was posted to the INS Valsura Naval Base at Jamnagar where he was responsible to set-up the Anti-aircraft defences for the base in a timely manner to defend against the air raids in which the base was targeted and bombed by Pakistani Air Force B57 Bombers escorted by Sabre jet aircafts, In 1966 while posted to Western Naval Command Mumbai, he set-up India’s first Electronics Testing & Maintenance facility for advanced Electronic weapon systems, Radar and Gyro at INS Angre in Bombay. Subsequently from 1966-68 Lt Cdr V. Narayan Raju was posted to Moscow and Vladivostok in the USSR and returned as the Fleet Electrical Officer on the first fleet of Petya Class Destroyers, which played a key role in the development of the Indian Navy’s blue water capabilities and in the war, which followed. During the 1971 war Cdr V. Narayan Raju was the Head of the Base Maintenance Unit of INS Circars at Vishakhapatnam that provided the crucial wartime Engineering maintenance support for ships of the Eastern Naval Command fleet that played a decisive role in the liberation of Bangladesh and the surrender of East Pakistan.

References :

https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/directorate-quality-assurance-naval

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttana_Venkatramana_Raju

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Puttana_Venkatramana_Raju

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rao_Bahadur