Indian Army: News & Discussion

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 19 Sep 2011 08:58

As I was approving this article : Role of Armed Forces in Sikkim Earthquake :, I realised how much of the things we discuss have been incorporated. We speak of the lack of border roads wrt china, Field Ambulances, C-130 J Hercules etc. See how they have formed an important role in such a situation. Hopefully, more Army brigades and infrastructure will be built up.

Army docs are already on the border villages "instilling confidence in them." IMO, this is an evidence that Army has learn't lessons from 1962, when Chinese moved in and tried to instill Chinese version of confidence in them.

ASPuar · Post by **ASPuar** » 19 Sep 2011 12:04

^^

Good news.

I wonder how things are on other fronts on the China border. Sikkim, of course, was not a part of India when the '62 war happened, and was an independent country...

kunalverma · Post by **kunalverma** » 19 Sep 2011 13:01

The epicentre was at Magan where the Army has a small detachment that looks after vehicles moving onto North Sikkim. Across the Teesta River lies the Dzongu region which is inhabited by Lepchas and no outsiders are allowed - this decree dates back to the days of the Chogyals. The road then goes onto Chumathang which is a one-horse sort of town which is known for its Gurudwara. Chumathang, I believe has been severely damaged. From here the road goes northwest to Lachen and onto North Sikkim, while the other fork goes to Lachung valley that borders the Chumbi Valley to the east. Let's really hope and pray for all our people in the region. Fortunately the area is fairly sparsely populated.

Gaur · Post by **Gaur** » 19 Sep 2011 15:32

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/big-e ... eststories

Apart from five civilians, two Army personnel were killed in Sikkim. There was also extensive damage to Army structures in North Sikkim. The Army bus, which was missing after the earthquake, was found today. All the Armymen in the bus are safe.

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 19 Sep 2011 16:31

This of course begs the question.......

Who or what motivated unnithan, a two bit hack with a scant concern for the truth, to write such a malicious story about a serving Army Chief??

Was it the urge to support fellow villager antony??

all of them aspire to be bigshots in that organisation and looks like you have to deal with the devil to get there

Shukla provides a doc at least instead of vague references to sources

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 19 Sep 2011 19:29

ASPuar wrote:^^

Good news.

I wonder how things are on other fronts on the China border. Sikkim, of course, was not a part of India when the '62 war happened, and was an independent country...

Sigh! I was generally mentioning the Chinese war and the issue. Anyway, you are correct on Sikkim.

kunalverma wrote:The epicentre was at Magan where the Army has a small detachment that looks after vehicles moving onto North Sikkim. Across the Teesta River lies the Dzongu region which is inhabited by Lepchas and no outsiders are allowed - this decree dates back to the days of the Chogyals. The road then goes onto Chumathang which is a one-horse sort of town which is known for its Gurudwara. Chumathang, I believe has been severely damaged. From here the road goes northwest to Lachen and onto North Sikkim, while the other fork goes to Lachung valley that borders the Chumbi Valley to the east. Let's really hope and pray for all our people in the region. Fortunately the area is fairly sparsely populated.

Thank You, that was very detailed.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Sep 2011 19:37

ASPuar wrote:http://www.business-standard.com/india/ ... ry/449657/
Army chief readies for legal battle with ministry

I see it as just another press war , this time with some reference to documents with numbers etc and there is no way to verify who is speaking the truth , reminds me of Outlook article with similar document number when the whole Scorpene scandal broke out and Arun Prakash was the target , those document reference then looked all so real just as it appears now.

I would be very skeptical in believing any press/media reports on this issue for now since its a game being played by both parties to the hilt , only when MOD comes up with some official data in Parliament will they shed light on truth or alternatively if VKS goes to court which forces the MOD to come up with data.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Sep 2011 21:06

ASPuar wrote:Thank god the Indian Army has a chief with a pair of spheres between his legs, and cant be bribed with the governorship of some minor state. Sam Manekshaw once said that the highest honour that any soldier can aspire to, is to be the COAS. Anything after that is unnecessary, because he has already achieved the greatest thing that any military man should ever want.

I hope and pray that the truth will prevail in this case. MoD has made an unseemly, and utterly undignified mess of the whole damned thing.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/ ... ry/449657/

Army chief readies for legal battle with ministry

Ajai Shukla / New Delhi
September 19, 2011, 0:33 IST

The growing tension between the army and the ministry of defence (MoD) over when the army chief, General V K Singh, will retire could be heading for a sensational climax. Business Standard has learned from sources close to the army chief that he will definitely go to court if defence minister A K Antony turns down his official petition requesting that his birth date be recognised as May 10, 1951.

Driving Gen Singh’s decision to escalate the face-off is his annoyance at the defence minister’s statement to Parliament on September 7, in which Antony said the army chief was “left with 8 months and 23 days of service as on date”. Given that Antony is still considering Gen Singh’s petition, the army chief sees this unvarnished answer as an indication that Antony will reject his appeal and humiliate him in the process.

“The chief feels he has been pushed into a corner; he has no choice but to fight for his military reputation. And, he knows that his legal case is watertight,” says a close personal associate of the army chief, who is assisting him in this matter.
Antony’s statement to Parliament has already proven nettlesome, with a Rajya Sabha MP, Mohan Singh, challenging the defence minister for allegedly falsely stating in Parliament that Gen Singh was promoted on the basis of a date of birth of May 10, 1950. The MoD acknowledges this challenge and says it is examining the matter.

This controversy stems from the army’s inability to detect or reconcile, for 35 years, that two key branches in army headquarters maintained conflicting dates of birth for Gen V K Singh.

The Military Secretary’s Branch (MS Branch), which deals with postings and promotions, has May 10, 1950. The Adjutant General’s Branch (AG’s Branch), which is the record-keeping authority, has May 10, 1951.

The MoD has ruled that the general was born in 1950; hence, he will retire on 31st May 2012 after reaching the age of 62 that month. But the army chief has officially petitioned Antony that his birth year be considered 1951, on the basis of multiple documents that he submitted four decades ago (including his matriculation and birth certificates). If his plea is accepted Gen Singh would serve till March 31, 2013, when he completes three years as the chief.

In concluding that 1950 should be regarded as Gen Singh’s birth year, the MoD has argued that the army chief had himself accepted that date. Now Business Standard has accessed confidential documents that show this acceptance was under pressure. The documents illustrate that Gen Singh was explicitly threatened by the MS Branch to accept that he was born in 1950; and that the MoD had serious concerns over the branch’s handling of this issue.

When Gen Singh was being evaluated for appointment as the commander of the eastern army in Kolkata, the MS Branch sent his documents to the MoD in 2007. On December 14, 2007, the key MoD official dealing with promotions and postings of senior officers, Joint Secretary (G) Bimal Julka, wrote a secret letter — number MoD ID No. 11(9)/2007-D(MS) — to the military secretary, Lt Gen PR Gangadharan. Julka asked how the MS Branch had changed Gen V K Singh’s date of birth from 1951 to 1950.

Echoeing what Gen Singh says today, Julka demands to know, “It is seen… that the officer has all along indicated his date of birth as 10.5.1951. Hence, the basis for officer’s date of birth as 10.5.1950 may please be indicated.”

Julka’s question triggered a flurry of letters from the MS Branch to Gen Singh (then a lieutenant general commanding the prestigious 2 Corps), demanding an unequivocal written commitment that he was born in 1950. When Gen Singh demurred, the MS Branch issued a bald threat. In wireless signal number 388025/2008/MS(X) dated January 24, 2008, the MS Branch demanded an unconditional and immediate commitment to a 1950 birth year, adding, “If reply not recd (received) by 1000 hrs (hours) on January 25, 2008, action deemed appropriate will be taken.”

Gen Singh believed that “action deemed appropriate” was an MS Branch threat to scuttle his candidature as eastern army commander. The same day he sent off his acceptance to MS Branch, but continued a testy correspondence, protesting this demand.

The MS Branch lost no time in triumphantly telling the MoD’s Julka that Singh had accepted 1950 as his birth year. But it was hardly possible for the MS Branch to hide its own faults.

In a letter number A/45751/Army Cdr/MS(X) dated January 25, 2008, addressed to the MoD’s Bimal Julka, Lt Gen Gangadharan admitted that two birth dates existed “because of lack of coordination between the two branches (MS and AG’s) at that point in time…. The officer had also been mentioning 10 May 1951 in all his ACRs (Annual Confidential Records) but the MS Branch did not seek clarification/reconcile his date of birth.”

The MoD could see that Gen Singh’s acceptance of 1950 was half-hearted. In a confidential letter — MoD ID No. 11(9)/2007-D(MS) dated January 25, 2008 — Bimal Julka wrote to the MS, “On perusal of the letter of Lt Gen V K Singh to MS dated 24 Jan 2008, it is evident that the doubts regarding his date of birth remain unanswered.” Julka demanded “a detailed enquiry into the matter to find out the correct date of birth of the officer, immediately in consultation with AG’s Branch”.

The AG’s Branch responded on January 30, 2008, stating that “the date of birth of IC-24173 Lt Gen V K Singh has always remained May 10, 1951. This has been corroborated in all of the documents on file of the officer in MP Directorate (which maintains officers’ records). Copies of the same have already been endorsed to MS Branch.”

But the enquiry demanded by the MoD was never completed, say sources close to Gen Singh. The army chief, Gen Deepak Kapoor, was not on good terms with Gen V K Singh, a relationship that practically broke down when Gen Singh, then in Kolkata, went after generals allegedly close to Gen Kapoor in the Sukhna land scam. And, so the matter remains to be resolved to this day.

General's case is watertight. He would win, barring some sinister intervention. But from this it becomes clear that internally MS/AG branches are/were at loggerhead. When JS MOD , who happens to be one babu, asks question one branch of Army Arm-twists future COAS into accepting a wrong DOB. Still people think it is not either MS or AG to blame .This holy cow attitude must stop and things should be seen in rational manner for what it is. Internal politics of Army being peddled as Succession plan and AKA has allowed himself to be embroiled in this mud. Muck lies at the feet of internal politics of Army and Attorney General's ill conceived wrong advice and AKA, the MOD.

ASPuar · Post by **ASPuar** » 19 Sep 2011 21:36

Yup. I have been pointing out continuously that all this is because of a game played by certain service officers. And it is being exploited by the babus.

ASPuar · Post by **ASPuar** » 19 Sep 2011 21:37

chackojoseph wrote:
ASPuar wrote:^^

Good news.

I wonder how things are on other fronts on the China border. Sikkim, of course, was not a part of India when the '62 war happened, and was an independent country...
Sigh! I was generally mentioning the Chinese war and the issue. Anyway, you are correct on Sikkim.

It was just a general observation...

anjan · Post by **anjan** » 20 Sep 2011 00:27

chaanakya wrote: General's case is watertight. He would win, barring some sinister intervention. But from this it becomes clear that internally MS/AG branches are/were at loggerhead. When JS MOD , who happens to be one babu, asks question one branch of Army Arm-twists future COAS into accepting a wrong DOB. Still people think it is not either MS or AG to blame .This holy cow attitude must stop and things should be seen in rational manner for what it is. Internal politics of Army being peddled as Succession plan and AKA has allowed himself to be embroiled in this mud. Muck lies at the feet of internal politics of Army and Attorney General's ill conceived wrong advice and AKA, the MOD.

I don't recall blaming the IAS for it? The IAS however is the undisputed master on internal politics and will exploit every little fissure to achieve it's ends. Or it actively creates those fissures. The trouble is that for the IAS goals of state are all too often subservient to the overarching desire of internal power.

I'm not sure anyone has much love lost for the top brass of the services. There is much that is rotten at the top. Successive Chiefs have failed to show spine in fighting for loss of pay and equivalent rank for the men under their command.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 20 Sep 2011 03:20

So who is the JS in MOD Mr Bimal Julka who is aksig all these questions in 2007? What is his interest in this DOb issue?

Also what other personnel are suffering from this discrepancy in DOB in the records dept? Is this the only case?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 20 Sep 2011 05:45

of course the JS would have an interest since there is a discrepancy which is vitally important regarding the succession, as we have seen. if you haven't noticed all his memos favour VKS' version.

I think we are hanging IAS lobby rather too quickly in this case, the events, from AKA to pallam raju smells like a politico driven affair to me.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 20 Sep 2011 05:59

For ‘financial impropriety,’ Army moves to recall DG Assam Rifles

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 20 Sep 2011 09:27

'Op Trishakti Madad' - Army mounts mammoth SAR operations in Sikkim and West Bengal

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 20 Sep 2011 10:01

ramana wrote:So who is the JS in MOD Mr Bimal Julka who is aksig all these questions in 2007? What is his interest in this DOb issue?

He is presently DG ,Economic Affairs, MOF,GOI, He would be dealing with Promotion related cases in MOD as JS( General Admin) and within rights to ask questions if appointments/promotion cases are put up for Govt.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 20 Sep 2011 10:15

anjan wrote:
I don't recall blaming the IAS for it? The IAS however is the undisputed master on internal politics and will exploit every little fissure to achieve it's ends. Or it actively creates those fissures. The trouble is that for the IAS goals of state are all too often subservient to the overarching desire of internal power.

I'm not sure anyone has much love lost for the top brass of the services. There is much that is rotten at the top. Successive Chiefs have failed to show spine in fighting for loss of pay and equivalent rank for the men under their command.

Well I am not batting for either services or for IAS. I think JS MOD acted properly and asked correct questions when MS/AG branches of Military were slugging it out on future COAS. To talk anything would be OT.

sugriva · Post by **sugriva** » 20 Sep 2011 10:43

^^^^
There seems to be a game of oneupmanship going on amongst the senior generals of the Indian Army. First the Sukhna land scam, then VKS's DOB controversy and now DGAR to be recalled for financial impropriety. Something seems to be rotten. How did this come to pass?

Gaur · Post by **Gaur** » 20 Sep 2011 11:27

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 046034.cms

In Sikkim, while the Army brought in special forces personnel and ordered troops from high-altitude camps to trek to remote parts, it was clear that top officials had no clear idea of the extent of damage. Army casualties may also go up as many of the high-altitude camps along the Line of Actual Control with Tibet are close to the epicentre.

ASPuar · Post by **ASPuar** » 20 Sep 2011 11:35

The complaint against General Rameshwar Roy seems to be malafide, and made by a disgruntled contractor, much like the complaint against Command Hospital, Pune. Army HQ these days it seems is overeager to act on any and all complaints, whether they are justified or not.

Ministry of Home Affairs, under which Assam Rifles is a Central Paramilitary Force, has meanwhile acted with caution, saying that they are conducting an inquiry, but prima facie it seems to be a fraud complaint. In other reports, they are also suggesting they will take action if the complaint is found to be false.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ft3JDaBIjIU/T ... 750320.jpg

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Sep 2011 13:19

Why is Antony playing ducks and drakes with the Army?

The India Today article has quoted the Attorney General: “police verification in 1966 also shows date of birth as 1950”. The documents available with this author speak otherwise. These documents are: verification done by DIG CID IB Rajasthan vide his letter No. CIL/SB/VR-G/ (V-8) 64/66/4465 Jaipur dated 22/06/1966, Serial 6 of IAFF(P)-14, and verification by SHO Bhiwani, SP Hissar, District Magistrate, Hissar, and authenticated by DIG CID Punjab signed by DIG(CID) Punjab Sarwant Singh letter No. 1295/MA/ date 22 July 66. It may be noted that Haryana had not separated from Punjab then. These letters categorically give General VK Singh’s DOB as 10 May 1951.

** On 30 March 2011, MD Paliath, IDAS, Principal Controller, wrote to Lt Gen VK Chaturvedi, Director General of Manpower Planning, AG’s Branch : “I find from records maintained here (copy of Form-A at the time of commission enclosed) that the date of birth of the COAS Gen VK Singh is already shown as 10 May 1951”.

*** The date of birth (10 May 1950) entered in the UPSC form was not backed by any documentary proof. It was questioned and a clarification was sought by UPSC itself. Gen VK Singh promptly had submitted documents, which supported his contention that the entry in the application form was erroneous and his date of birth was 10 May 1951.

**** The DOB in the Army List was mere perpetuation by the concerned branch of the erroneous entry filled in the UPSC form, which UPSC had rectified long ago.
Conclusion

Which are the lies of the General? There is only one truth, the succession plan to suit one individual. The desperation of the government is unmistakable and intriguing.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 20 Sep 2011 16:15

Curiouser and curiouser.

What will said individual supposedly help the GoI in that another will supposedly not? Just go slow on corruption cases or something more sinister? And why is the principal opposition party silent on all this?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Sep 2011 16:24

merlin wrote:Curiouser and curiouser.

What will said individual supposedly help the GoI in that another will supposedly not? Just go slow on corruption cases or something more sinister? And why is the principal opposition party silent on all this?

Simple fact and may not be anything more sinister than this (hopefully!!).

Must be some slimy MOD / IAS / heavily connected politico mofo's relative.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 20 Sep 2011 17:27

^^^It has been alleged that Bikram Singh is related to MMS. Is that true?

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 20 Sep 2011 18:18

Rot happened is much sinister.

If one try to trace the route of such rot, one has to search for answer why MS branch acted in such manner and further and one has probe what is the succession plan that then Army Chief DK created. Why was such plan drawn. If such succession plan exists and created by then Chief DK, do such plans happened even before. Since MoD plays active role in such succession plans, was there any nexus/connection with MoD officials in this succession plan. Is this stops with MoD official or even go higher involving RM and PM. Who profits by this succession plan.

Some tidbits: Even after Gen. Panag in Charge of Northern Army Command, protested against the appointment of DK as Chief' nothing happened. He met Saint Antony in person to register his protest. Why the same Saint Antony, who proclaims he won't tolerate corruption under any form in his ministery didn't do anything at that time. Is he protecting a succession plan at that time. Why the same Saint Antony, tries to project the DoB of current Chief as 1950 in Parliament. If Ajai Shukla can get access to such documents, can't Saint Antony don't know about this. Is he again protecting a succession plan. What for?

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 20 Sep 2011 18:59

rohitvats wrote:^^^It has been alleged that Bikram Singh is related to MMS. Is that true?

Hope this won't make the defense forces go the bureaucracy way. But when you hit at the top, the message is pretty clear.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 20 Sep 2011 19:47

chetak wrote:Why is Antony playing ducks and drakes with the Army?

The India Today article has quoted the Attorney General: “police verification in 1966 also shows date of birth as 1950”. The documents available with this author speak otherwise. These documents are: verification done by DIG CID IB Rajasthan vide his letter No. CIL/SB/VR-G/ (V-8) 64/66/4465 Jaipur dated 22/06/1966, Serial 6 of IAFF(P)-14, and verification by SHO Bhiwani, SP Hissar, District Magistrate, Hissar, and authenticated by DIG CID Punjab signed by DIG(CID) Punjab Sarwant Singh letter No. 1295/MA/ date 22 July 66. It may be noted that Haryana had not separated from Punjab then. These letters categorically give General VK Singh’s DOB as 10 May 1951.

** On 30 March 2011, MD Paliath, IDAS, Principal Controller, wrote to Lt Gen VK Chaturvedi, Director General of Manpower Planning, AG’s Branch : “I find from records maintained here (copy of Form-A at the time of commission enclosed) that the date of birth of the COAS Gen VK Singh is already shown as 10 May 1951”.

*** The date of birth (10 May 1950) entered in the UPSC form was not backed by any documentary proof. It was questioned and a clarification was sought by UPSC itself. Gen VK Singh promptly had submitted documents, which supported his contention that the entry in the application form was erroneous and his date of birth was 10 May 1951.

**** The DOB in the Army List was mere perpetuation by the concerned branch of the erroneous entry filled in the UPSC form, which UPSC had rectified long ago.
Conclusion

Which are the lies of the General? There is only one truth, the succession plan to suit one individual. The desperation of the government is unmistakable and intriguing.

I don't know how much more evidence CON Grass morons need to see their stupidity in the matter.

ASPuar · Post by **ASPuar** » 20 Sep 2011 20:44

Whether General Bikram Singh is related to MMS or not, he is certainly rumoured to be close to the Prime Ministers Office. He himself has completely escaped scrutiny in the DOB controversy. Who is he?

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 21 Sep 2011 02:48

Link with brigade HQ too tenuous

New Delhi, Sept. 19: The headquarters of a forward-deployed army brigade in charge of manning the sensitive border with China in North Sikkim has all but fallen out of the military communication network in Sunday evening’s earthquake.

The army has a dedicated secure communication network. But the snapping of connectivity indicates just how jolted it was when the Richter indicated 6.9.
...
...
Sources in the army here said there was only intermittent satellite communication with the headquarters of the 112 Brigade near Mangan. Mangan is the district headquarters of North Sikkim, the largest of the state’s districts that covers half its area. It has a population of less than 50,000.

The lack of voice and data communication meant that damage-assessment is just mostly guess work for now.

Units of the 112 Brigade man a wide front with China that includes the “Finger” area, a part of the state that juts into Chinese territory, from where repeated “transgressions” of the border were reported in 2008 and 2009. Since then, the Indian army has reinforced its defences in the front and has inducted tanks and armoured personnel carriers in the high plateau.
...
...
The sources said that landslides triggered by the quake have made it impossible for vehicles to transit between Gangtok and Mangan. There is also no communication between Mangan and Chumthang, where National Highway 31A forks for Lachen and Lachung.

The army is deployed all across North Sikkim. The Central Public Works Department and the Border Roads Organisation maintains the roads, that were widened in the last two years, largely to make deployment of military vehicles faster in the event of an emergency.

The brigade is under the 17 Black Cat Division headquartered in Gangtok but also shares operational responsibility to a brigade under the 27 Mountain Division headquartered in Kalimpong.

“We have difficulty maintaining communication with 112 even when the weather is bad but this is more serious,” one officer said. Incessant rain has also made frequent helicopter sorties difficult. Even in normal times helicopters usually do not fly in the heights after 3pm. Many of the frontier posts are “air maintained”, meaning they are dependent on supplies and reinforcements by helicopter.

The earthquake has also wrecked a project of the CPWD to build three roads for the army from Lachen and Lachung towards the China border. The two workers who were killed were staying in a CPWD camp about 30km from Lachen. The other officers are said to be safe. The CPWD started the work on three roads in Sikkim this year itself.
...
...

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Sep 2011 06:53

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 21 Sep 2011 10:49

Err, 112 Mtn Bdge is not in Mangan.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 21 Sep 2011 10:51

merlin wrote:Err, 112 Mtn Bdge is not in Mangan.

bhere is it.....

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 21 Sep 2011 11:30

West of Gangtok......

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 21 Sep 2011 11:53

OK. Thanks.

Gaur · Post by **Gaur** » 21 Sep 2011 18:40

Feel really frustrated when I hear read such news articles (which I read way too often for my comfort).

What Sikkim wants: A highway west of the Teesta

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/suryagangad ... eesta.html

The other day, an Air Force officer just back from Gangtok told me: "the situation in the north is grim. It's only now beginning to emerge." He wouldn't say more. The Army which is spread all over the north, has been even more reticent. The north is sensitive from a security and strategic point of view. It borders Chinese controlled Tibet .. and includes the famous Finger Area where Chinese troops had intruded around two years ago. But senior officers admitted a steady trickle of information is coming from Army units deployed there (information they refused to share with the media).

But it appears the highway running north has been damaged, how seriously is still being determined. Bad enough to disrupt the flow of supplies to Army units and posts in the far north. Some posts are at heights ranging from 16,000 to 19,000 feet. The supply window is fast closing. By late October or early November, winter will make vehicular passage difficult. Flying in supplies is not an option. There are no airfields there and while helipads have been laid all across the border belt, carting tonnes of supplies including food and fuel tells heavily on equipment.

The only way out is an option the Army has been pushing with little success so far. An alternate highway running west of the Teesta river. Army engineers and surveyors have determined that the soil east of the Teesta is soft, making the area prone to landslides. But area west of the Teesta is firm not only because of sheer rock but also because the sun lingers for a longer time. This highway is planned to run from Dikchou to Manang skirting the Kanchendzonga National Park and going all the way up.

But environmental clearances remain a hurdle. The authorities are apparently not convinced that the Army will only skirt the park; others that trees will be cut and animals shot.

Privately senior officers stationed there question these assumptions. They say that the Army knows better than others the importance of tree cover in mountainous areas. Trees are insurance against landslides. Entire Army posts and small units are known to have been swept away in landslides, most recently in Ladakh/

At its core, the issue is probably political. North Sikkim is populated largely by Lepchas and Bhutias. They have some representation in the state legislature but lack weight since the overwhelming majority of the people comprise those of Nepali origin. The disadvantage is doubled at the Centre where the demands of bigger states find resonance while tiny Sikkim struggles for a hearing.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 21 Sep 2011 19:06

Yeah that area west of the Teesta will go into parts of Kanchenjunga NP. A highway is always cheaper than air maintenance. I don't think issue is political, just the usual administrative slowness.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Sep 2011 22:37

Army steps up Sikkim rescue operations (fotu)

Bob V · Post by **Bob V** » 22 Sep 2011 04:52

Army's heroic rescue act in Sikkim

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 22 Sep 2011 12:04

Pathak's coursemate Abhimanyu Dogra also gave up the opportunity to study at the IIT and in effect a cushy job thereafter, despite being on the extended merit list of the country's premier technology institute.

"At the end, you do need to do something meaningful, don't you?"

The call, he knows was not so much for help -- no self respecting cadet would have taken him up on his offer for a pick up to the camp -- but rather one seeking reassurance. Just knowing that their commanding officer knows they are lost is sometimes enough for a young cadet to go on.

As fun as The Great Escape is to both the cadets and the officers, it has a larger and a far more serious purpose.

Cadets are dropped at an undisclosed location in the middle of the night and are asked to find their way back to the base camp without any navigational devices.

Along the way, officers set up ambushes and intercept the cadets.

The ones who are caught are given a taste of what life would be if an enemy party were to lay their hands on them.

While all the other exercises have strict set of dos and don'ts The Great Escape has none. The idea is, well, to escape with whatever means possible.

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-sh ... 110922.htm

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 22 Sep 2011 12:32

Tomes Now was showing how Indian Army soldiers were slithering down from ALH in a difficult situation in Sikkim. ALH Dhruv needs more advertisement?