The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is working day and night to clear the snow accumulation from the roads in far-off areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Project Sampark of BRO through its 69 Road Construction Company (GREF) is putting Herculean efforts in snow clearance on Basholi- Bani- Bhaderwah road. Snow accumulated during this season in Sarthal and Khardwa area has been a major challenge to keep the line of transportation through. Heavy snow accumulation of approximately 4 to 8 feet has been experienced in this region this winter season. “To ensure connectivity to habitated areas, meticulous planning was done and necessary resources were deployed to clear the snow. Ongoing snow clearance work has been progressing on war footing and road has been kept open till Sarthal and progressing towards Chhatergala. Despite various challenges, GREF with its dedicated staff has ensured continuous snow clearance operation to facilitate movement of security forces, tourists and lcoals,” an official informed.
The official informed that 69 Road Construction Company has also taken up simultaneous snow clearance operation in Dalhousie area of Himachal Pradesh.
“Adequate state-of-the-art equipment have been deployed for snow clearance. Extreme cold climate in this area makes the work more challenging. Despite various odds, BRO men and resources have been working continuously to keep the line of communication through for forces, tourists and civil population,” the official said.
Army constructs footbridge over Malan Nullah in Reasi
Jammu: Army undertook a project of constructing a foot bridge between Tulli and Banna over Malan Nullah in Reasi district. “In the past, the access to the other side was almost entirely blocked during winter and early spring due to frequent flooding of Malan Nullah,” an official spokesperson said. Construction of footbridge was a long pending demand of the residents. “With the bridging of the Nullah, the inhabitants of Banna can now carry out disruption free movement from their remote location to the road head in all-weather condition. This project benefiting 1500 residents, aims to bridge not only the physical gap but also the aspirations of vibrant communities of Tulli and Banna,” the official said. OC
Bootlegger held in Samba, 24 liquor bottles recovered
Jammu: Intensifying its drive against the sale of illicit liquor, Samba police have arrested a bootlegger and recovered 24 bottles of illicit liquor of 180 ml each from his possession in Ramgarh. Acting on a tip-off about sale of illicit liquor in Govindgarh area, a police party rushed to the spot and caught the accused red-handed from his roadside shop selling illicit liquor to the public and recovered 24 bottles from his possession. The accused, identified as Hardev Singh, a resident of Govind Garh, has been arrested. A case under Section 48 (f) Excise Act has been registered against him at Ramgarh police station. OC
J&K Police celebrate International Women’s Day
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir police observed International Women’s Day with an event organised at the District Police Lines in Rajouri. The event was organised under the overall supervision of Rajouri SSP Amritpal Singh with police officers, including DSP Afrat Hussain and Ashwani Sharma. All the women working directly or indirectly with police department were present at the event. A token of gratitude was presented to Deputy SP, SDRF, Jabeen Lone, who was appreciated for being the torchbearer of women in twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted over 700 stranded passengers between the twin Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh on Saturday, an official said. While 514 passengers were airlifted from Jammu to Leh in two sorties of IL-76, as many as 223 persons were flown from Srinagar to Leh in another sortie, the official said.
With this, a total of 1,251 persons were airlifted between J&K and Ladakh this week. Earlier on Monday, 331 passengers were airlifted in separate sorties of AN-32, also known as Kargil courier, by the IAF between J&K to Kargil.
The Kargil courier was launched by the IAF on January 22 following closure of 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway owing to heavy snowfall. The Kargil courier service operates three days a week between Jammu and Srinagar, and twice a week between Srinagar and Kargil to facilitate the stranded passengers. The passengers have expressed their gratitude to all authorities, particularly the IAF.
IN August 1969, my battalion reached Srinagar en route to Kupwara. We checked in at the Transit Camp Officers’ Mess (TCOM), where we were welcomed by a gentle civilian employee dressed in a Kashmiri Pandit’s attire. He was Abdul, the receptionist-cum-bar head. In the meantime, a few more transients arrived. Surprisingly, Abdul knew most of them by their names and units. Donning a different hat later in the evening, Abdul was manning the bar, extending bespoke service to officers. While my seniors were reviving old contacts with other transients, we, too, ended up meeting a few fellow-generation officers.
The unit was deployed along the erstwhile ‘Ceasefire Line’. By virtue of the vast spread, the interaction with other units was virtually non-existent. It was only while proceeding on or returning from leave/courses or some official duty that we could visit Srinagar. But whenever an opportunity arose, it was fun to be at the TCOM — a rendezvous to meet our friends. The inherent freedom sans regimental restrictions provided a much-needed break and became our home away from home — or simply ‘home away’. Abdul would assist us with details of known transients and also shared fauji gupshup. Normally, the stay here used to be overnight. However, the perennial closures of the highway due to landslides, with concomitant transport restrictions during dry days, often fulfilled our desire for an extended stay. There was a set routine. The confreres in respective cabals spent the evenings in the bar or ventured out either to Broadway — the movie hall next door — or to Lal Chowk for a repast.
With the war clouds looming large in 1971, the Army courses were either curtailed or cancelled. Along with the cancellation of leave, there was an unprecedented influx at the TCOM. The staff led by Abdul ensured that all transients were provided with essential needs.
In 1973, we were set to move to a peace station. While enjoying the parting hospitality at our ‘home away’, our deepest admiration was reserved for Abdul for his dedication and care.
In 1991, the battalion under my command again moved to the Kashmir valley. It was fun to be back at ‘home away’, only to learn that Abdul had since retired and been replaced by Shukla ji.
Sensing my apprehension, an old staff member assured me: ‘Sahib, sab pehle jaisa hai. Shukla ji mein Abdul ki rooh hai.’ It did not take us long to find that Shukla ji was emulating his predecessor. During the 1990s, militancy led to the imposition of stringent restrictions on troops. We had no option but to remain within the confines of the TCOM. Shukla ji and the staff provided care and comfort.
It was the likes of Abdul and Shukla ji who, by dint of their sheer altruistic contribution, made the TCOM a ‘home away’. I learnt later that Abdul had passed away after retirement, while Shukla ji had died in harness.
Went to Russia as tourist, but was forced to enter battlefield: Punjab youth
He has been recruited into the Russian army which threatened him with 10 years in jail for visa violation. After only 15 days of “training”, he along with other youths is set to be sent to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war.
Gurpreet’s brother Amrit told The Tribune that Gurpreet was keen to travel abroad. On December 27, 2023, he left home to go to Russia. There were some other Indian youths with him in Russia.
Gurpreet told his family over the phone that someone told them they could also go to Belarus from there. But they were not aware that to go to Belarus, they needed a separate visa.
They hired a taxi and went to Belarus. On reaching there, the taxi driver started demanding more money. When they refused, he left them on the highway and fled. As they didn’t have a visa, the police caught them and handed them over to the Russian police.
The police threatened them that for violating visa norms, they would have to go to jail for 10 years. To evade jail term, they would have to sign an agreement to join the Russian army for one year under which they would be given small jobs like helper, cook or driver and would not be sent to the battlefield.
They signed the agreement and were taken to the army training centre near Moscow. There, Gurpreet came to know that he had been recruited into the army to fight. After 15 days of nominal training there, they were sent to a camp and were told that they would be sent to Ukraine to fight in a day or two.
“We spoke with Gurpreet three days ago. At that time, he was in a training camp and told us that they would be sent to fight in a day or two. After that, we haven’t had any contact with him,” said Amrit. He said they had appealed to the government to help Gurpreet return to India by taking up the matter with the Russian Government.
Be ready for operations, Rajnath Singh tells Navy commanders
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while commending the brave and prompt response by the Indian Navy to recent incidents of piracy and missile attacks, exhorted the Commanders to remain poised for operations across the spectrum of conflict.
He was addressing the Naval Commanders’ Conference, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Conference was conducted in two-phases – one at sea where the Minister was shown operations by both aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. The second phase of proceedings, held at New Delhi (March 7-8), included a review of major operational, materiel, infrastructure, logistics and personnel-related initiatives.
The naval leadership reviewed existing and future plans, including capability enhancements in the island territories, to mitigate contemporary and future challenges in the maritime domain. Service Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force also engaged with the Naval Commanders, sharing their assessment of the operating environment, outlining readiness levels to defend national interests amidst prevailing and evolving security challenges.
The inaugural session of the Conference was held onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
On the sidelines of the conference, Naval Commanders also interacted with various ‘think tanks’ yesterday. The forum provided an opportunity to engage with MSMEs, innovators and academia to deliberate ways to further enhance self-reliance in defence production.
Video of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing in Canada surfaces
Close to a year after killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, a video footage of the incident has surfaced, CBC News has reported.
Nijjar was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
CBC News obtained the video from ‘The Fifth Estate’, a Canadian investigative documentary series that airs on the CBC network.
The footage has been verified by more than one source, CBC News reported.
The video shows Nijjar leaving the parking lot of the gurdwara in his grey Dodge Ram pickup truck, as a white Sedan is on the adjacent road. As he approaches the exit, the car pulls in front of Nijjar and blocks his truck.
First the white sedan drew up alongside Nijjar’s pickup truck and then moved forward to cut its path. As soon as the sedan brakes to a stop, two men in hoodies but visibly bearded jumped out and fired at least 50 shots at Nijjar. Meanwhile, a white car drives out of the parking lot, according to the footage. Witnesses said the two men who fired at Nijjar were masked, of average height and had “pagdis” visible beneath their hoodies.
A witness, Bhupinderjit Singh Sidhu, was playing football about 100 yards away and first thought fireworks had gone off. On realising that shots had been fired, he jumped into a truck driven by a gurdwara leader, Gurmeet Singh Toor, and tried to give chase.
The witnesses saw “two guys running”. “We started running towards…where the sound was coming from.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had last year told Canada’s House of Commons that authorities were pursuing “credible allegations” that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing. The Indian government had strongly refuted the allegations.
Border forces of India, Bangladesh agree to check human trafficking
India and Bangladesh have mutually agreed to undertaken combined efforts to bring down incidents of trans-border crimes, human trafficking and illegal crossing alongside the International Border.
They have also agreed to cut down on incidents of attack on BSF personnel by Bangladesh-based criminals.
These agreements were reached during the 54th Director General-level coordination conference between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which was held in Dhaka between March 5 and 9.
BSF DG Nitin Agrawal and BGB chief Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui represented their respective forces in the conference.
Reiterating the need for synergistic efforts to uphold human rights and curb violence on the border, both sides agreed to work in partnership and engage professionally by enhancing joint patrolling, vigilance, intensifying public awareness programme, undertaking appropriate socio-economic development programme and sharing of real-time information in order to ensure that incidents of death at the border will be brought down to zero with mutual cooperation in near future.
Highlighting the importance of Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) in curbing trans-border crimes, human trafficking and illegal crossing, both sides agreed to pursue and share real-time information and investigation reports of traffickers. They also assured to remain extra vigilant to curb such crimes and put all out efforts to make Indo-Bangladesh border crime-free. Both the sides also agreed to aid victims of human trafficking and to facilitate their rescue and rehabilitation as soon as possible as per law of the land.
The DG level talks are held twice every year, once in India and once in Bangladesh.
A strategically significant twin-lane tunnel under Sela, a 13,700 feet Himalayan massif on the route between Tezpur and Tawang, was opened today, which will ensure all-weather connectivity to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in western Arunachal Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually dedicated to the nation the tunnel built by the Border Roads Organisation. Constructed at a cost of Rs 825 crore, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road, boosting the preparedness of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence said.
Strategic infra
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road, boosting the preparedness of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence said
India and China were involved in war in western Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. A nine-month-long standoff had ensued in 1986 at Sumdorong Chu. In December 2022, the two sides had clashed at Yangtse
India and China were involved in war in western Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. A nine-month-long standoff had ensued in 1986 at Sumdorong Chu. In December 2022, the two sides had clashed at Yangtse.
Arunachal gets all-weather twin-lane sela tunnel
13,700 ft Elevation
Rs 825 cr cost
1,003 metre is length of first single-tube Sela tunnel; 1,595 metre that of second
90 lakh man-hours taken with an average of 650 labourers working daily for 5 years
71,000 MT cement, 5,000 MT steel & 800 MT explosives used in construction
5 years taken by BRO to complete project
3,000 cars & 2,000 trucks can ply every day; strategically key due to LAC proximity
80 kmph is the maximum speed allowed
The tunnel will provide year-round connectivity and shorten the travel time between Tezpur and Tawang by almost 90 minutes, besides doing away with the long circuitous mountain route that often gets blocked in winter.
In his address today, PM Modi voiced government’s unwavering commitment to the development of the Northeast region. “The Sela tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity and improve ease of travel for the people of Tawang. Work on many tunnels is going on in the region,” he said.
The Prime Minister criticised the “earlier neglect” of the development of border villages. He reiterated that his government worked as per the needs of the nation and not for electoral benefits.
The Sela tunnel has been constructed using the new Austrian tunnelling method and incorporates safety features of the highest standards.
The foundation stone of the tunnel was laid by the Prime Minister on February 9, 2019. It has been completed in just five years, overcoming challenges of difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju were among the dignitaries present during the inauguration ceremony.
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