Brigadier Jasbir Pal Singh Randhawa displayed courage, initiative and daring in 1971, inspiring his battalion to take a heavy toll on the enemy and win two battle honours

THE MILITARY TRANSPORT HERITAGE PARK IN BENGALURU DISPLAYS VEHICLES WHICH HAVE SERVED THE ARMY WELL SINCE INDEPENDENCE

Melville de Mellow in his famous broadcast on the Chhamb battle described him as ‘A Sikh officer with enough josh (spirit) to set the (River) Tawi on fire’. Jasbir Pal Singh Randhawa was commanding 8 Jammu and Kashmir Militia (now Light Infantry) tasked with defending the hilly areas on the right flank of the Chhamb sector in December 1971. On the night of the 3rd, the enemy’s 2 POK Battalion and Zhob Militia attacked Picquet 707 held by Randhawa’s Alfa Company after an intense artillery bombardment. The Militia were beaten off but the POK wrested a foothold in the forward trenches. At one time, the situation was so desperate that the company commander called for Red over Red (artillery fire on one’s own position). Randhawa seized the initiative, reached the defended locality with his commando platoon and personally led the counter-attack which cleared the enemy from the post. Probes launched against all three company localities the next day were also beaten back. Two infiltration attempts on December 5 by 6 POK Battalion were detected and repulsed.

Again, on the night of the 6th/7th, very heavy artillery fire preceded a major attack by 2 AK Battalion on Charlie Company holding the Laleali feature. Emboldened by the successful beating back of successive enemy assaults and inspired by their live-wire commanding officer’s example, the men took a heavy toll of the enemy while repelling them. Delta Company holding Dewa fell back to the depth locality the next day, but not before inflicting heavy casualties. Randhawa was awarded the Vir Chakra with his battalion being awarded battle honours for both Picquet 707 and Laleali.

Randhawa belonged to the Isapur military family and was a direct descendant of Baba Buddha, a venerated figure in Sikhism. Commissioned in 5/8 Gorkha Rifles, he retired as a Brigadier. A charismatic commander, the age factor prevented him from advancing to what would’ve been his true level. RIP. General Rakesh Anand, a Signals officer, recently took over as commander of Dakshin Bharat Area. An MTech from IIT, Delhi, in his last appointment as ADG, Signals Staff, he implemented the project for complete online documentation for JCOs and ORs and e-learning and online examinations as part of the Army’s ongoing thrust towards complete computerisation. Headquartered in Chennai, Dakshin Bharat Area supervises the largest military region of the country comprising most of the peninsular India.

AIR MARSHAL AMIT TIWARI

The new Commandant of the Air Force Academy, Dundigal is Air Marshal Amit Tiwari, a 1982-commissioned fighter pilot. The Air Marshal’s flying experience encompasses 3,500 hours including flying on Ajeet (Gnat) interceptors and Mig-27 variable-geometry groundattack aircraft. He has been the team leader of the Suryakirans, the formation aerobatics team of the IAF. Tiwari has also served as the country’s Air Attaché in Afghanistan.

MILITARY TRANSPORT HERITAGE PARK

Envisaged as an acknowledgment of the vital role and yeoman service provided by the mechanical warriors of the Army’s transport fleet, a Military Transport Heritage Park has been inaugurated at the ASC Centre and College, Bengaluru. At the moment, all kinds of vehicles operated by the Army and more specifically the ASC since Independence have been showcased in the park. A welcome move, the Army is showing greater interest in preserving its legacy.

An IAF chopper grounded at Rajaji Tiger Reserve due to some technical fault in Haridwar on Thursday. Tribune photo: RAMESHWAR GAUR

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 23

A helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made an emergency landing at Rajaji Tiger Reserve here today. An Army Major and Captain were on board when the chopper (IA 3106) had to land due to some technical glitch in the dense forest terrain at Baniyawala, Chillawali Range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve.The chopper had taken off from Haldwani for Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Its first abrupt stoppage was at Raiwala. After the snag was fixed, the chopper flew for its destination, but it had to land once again at Baniyawala after the pilot sensed some error. Finding it tough to resolve, another helicopter from the nearest Army Cantt area in Raiwala was called with a technician.Komal Singh, wildlife warden, Haridwar Range, Rajaji Tiger Reserve, said two Air Force officials — Major BP Singh and Captain Abhinav — were aboard when the chopper made emergency landing. “They are safe. After getting technical assistance, the fault was rectified and the IAF helicopter took off for the further journey in the evening. An alert had been sounded in the range area when news about it flashed,” he added.

Tribune News service 

Chandigarh, March 23

The Punjab Government will soon bring in a law to appoint parliamentary secretaries for ministers.Reiterating that the recent assembly election was his last, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said his government proposed to introduce a Bill to appoint parliamentary secretaries who could be groomed by his ministers for the future.“India is a young country and such a move would help youngsters learn the ropes so that they can take over the reins of governance in the next few years,” Amarinder Singh said.The chief minister said he would be happy if the party appointed a successor in the last year of his tenure to take over from him when he finally hung up his boots.

Photo for representational purpose only. Thinkstock

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 22

India and Russia are having a disagreement over the joint production of the Kamov-226T light utility helicopter which was announced as the first major ‘Make in India’ project some five months ago.The two-long standing military allies are facing hurdles as Russia is yet to give approval for the project. Top sources told The Tribune that pricing of the copter and technology transfer of the copter through a private Indian partner are the two stumbling blocks.New Delhi is not satisfied with the price being asked by the Russian side, sources said while adding that the  terms of having a private partner were part of the inter government agreement inked in October 2016, during the Narendra Modi-Vladimir Putin meet at Goa. It was in December 2015 that it was first announced that the Kamov-226T will be copter of choice.The Russians have public sector giant, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), as the Indian partner, however, the Ministry of Defence is looking to have private sector Indian investors to share a part of the contract that India has to execute under a joint venture with Russia.Kamov-HAL are to produce 200 of the Kamov 226-T copters at a cost of nearly Rs 6,500 crore or Rs 32 crore per copter in India.The HAL is owned by the Ministry of Defence and has previous experience at making copters.The Indian forces need some 800 light utility helicopters over the next decade, a demand which cannot be fulfilled by the HAL alone.The twin-engined Kamov 226-T will replace the single-engine Cheetah/Chetak, usually deployed for surveillance, dropping small loads and for rescue, including of troops posted at forbidding heights such as the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region.The three services and the Coast Guard currently have 430 Cheetah/Chetaks helicopters. They are based on the 1950s’ designed Alouette Aérospatiale 315B Lama of France.

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A vehicle passes through snowbound Zojila on the Srinagar-Leh highway. file Photo

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 16

Bidders have shown reluctance to execute the ambitious South East Asia’s longest Zojila tunnel project, connecting Kashmir with the strategic Ladakh region, owing to “uncertainty” in the Valley and “very hostile weather conditions”.This is in spite of change in the mode of execution from the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) (Annuity) basis to Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. Under the new EPC model, the government is fully funding the project.“Uncertainty hangs over the execution of the project as bidders have shown strong reluctance to the project due to large-scale tension in the Kashmir valley and very hostile weather conditions. No local and foreign bidder is ready to make a huge investment in a scenario which has always been marred by uncertainty and turbulence,” a senior officer of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) said.The Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MORTH) has entrusted the NHIDCL, its fully owned company, with the task of undertaking and completing the tendering process of the Zojila tunnel project.The NHIDCL officer said, “Now, the government has changed the mode of work to EPC under which it (government) will fully fund the project but we are still waiting for a response from bidders. This is for the fifth times that tenders have been floated. We don’t know what will be the fate of the project.”Under the EPC mode, the NHIDCL invited fresh international-level “Request of Proposal” (NIT) on January 9 and decided to award Letter of Award (LOA) to the final bidder on March 3. However, the corporation has extended the date of tender till May 1 due to poor response from road developers.Under the DBFOT (Annuity) model, the 14.08-km-long tunnel was to be constructed in seven years with an estimated cost of Rs 10,050 crore. The project has also been included in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rs 80,000 crore development package for Jammu and Kashmir, which was announced on November 7, 2015.“The estimated cost of project is Rs 5,950 crore under the new EPC model and 84 months deadline has been fixed for the completion of the project from the date of its commencement. The assessment of actual costs, however, will have to be made by the bidder, who will also be responsible for maintenance and operation of the project for a period of 10 years from the date of completion of the project,” the officer said, adding, “There are hostile climatic issues attached with the project as Zojila is the most devastating stretch on the Srinagar-Leh axis.”“The stretch between Gagangir and Sonamarg on the proposed tunnel has 24 avalanche sites, while there are 52 similar sites on the Sonamarg-Manimarg stretch, which records heavy to heavy snowfall. It will not be easy for any executing agency to execute work on the project,” the officer said.The MORTH has envisaged the construction of a two-lane bi-directional Zojila tunnel with a parallel escape (egress) tunnel, including approaches, on the Srinagar-Leh section on the EPC mode. The project assumes strategic importance for the defence forces as Ladakh shares its vast borders with China and Pakistan.It also holds the socio-economical importance for the region as two vital national highways — 434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and 474-km-long Manali-Leh — remain closed for six months due to accumulation of snow in harsh winters.The Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road traverses through two major mountain ranges. It first crosses through the great Himalayas at Zojila and then the Zanskar mountain range at Fatula to enter Ladakh. Apart from its tough geography and topography, the mighty Zojila pass witnesses a maximum standing snow of around 5-6 metres every year and the temperature sometimes plummets to -28°C to -25°C.The proposed tunnel will pass through the Zojila Pass, which serves as the gateway to the Ladakh region. The pass, located at an altitude of about 12,000 ft (3,530 metres), is the fourth highest pass in the country. Out of 30 km from the tourist resort of Sonamarg in Kashmir to Gumri near the Zojila pass, the 10-km stretch is tough because of steep ravine and vertical mountains, prone to avalanches.

Project caught in tendering process

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the project on October 17, 2013
• After the CCEA nod, only one agency came forward for the first time, leading to cancellation of process. The same happened second and third time, forcing the government to cancel the process
• When tenders were re-invited in December 2015 for the fourth time, the only bidder, IRB Infrastructure, was awarded the tender. The contract was cancelled following allegations of favouritism and corruption in the process by Congress leader Digvijaya Sing

Cops stand guard outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan on Wednesday. PHOTO: MANOJ MaHAJAN

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 15

In view of the swearing-in ceremony of Capt Amarinder Singh as the Chief Minister of Punjab at the Raj Bhawan, the roads leading to the Punjab Raj Bhawan will be closed for traffic from 8 am to noon tomorrow.Police officials said the roads leading to the Raj Bhawan from the St Kabir School turn, Sector 26, the Kishangarh village turn, the Sector 26/7 light point near the Kalsa college, the road separating Sectors 7 and 8 near the petrol pump, the KBDAV School, Sector 7, light point and the Sector 5/6/7/8 Hira Singh Chowk will remain closed for the public.People have been advised to use alternative roads to avoid inconvenience. “The roads will be opened soon after the swearing-in ceremony,” said a police official. The traffic police would be deployed at various points to regulate traffic.

CAPTAIN’S KNOCK First in the family to celebrate 75th birthday, CM’s crown is icing on the cake

CHANDIGARH: For Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, his 75th birthday on Saturday will probably rank as the most memorable.

SANJEEV SHARMA/HTCaptain Amarinder Singh flanked by party leaders Harish Chaudhary and Asha Kumari, and (below) his friend from Pakistan Aroosa Alam watching the revelry by Congress supporters at his residence in Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Saturday.

A former soldier, he scripted a huge win for the Congress in Punjab, proving most exit polls wrong that predicted a tight contest with Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.

While the AAP was left miles behind, the ruling SAD-BJP recorded its worst-ever performance in the state.

In his home turf of Patiala, the Captain prevailed over the general when he beat former army chief and Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Gen JJ Singh.

But before he entered the poll arena, Amarinder had to do some fighting of his own. He literally arm-twisted the party high command into dropping his predecessor, Partap Bajwa, to hand over the state unit to him.

A third straight defeat on his watch would have been a loss of face for Amarinder personally and a big blow to the party.

Out of favour and sidelined after the 2012 shock defeat, Amarinder’s political career was resurrected by bitter rival Bajwa.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he proposed that Amarinder take on BJP’s Arun Jaitley from Amritsar, an election that he won.

Bajwa, on the hand, lost to BJP’s Vinod Khanna in Gurdaspur. An emboldened Amarinder openly took on Bajwa and even challenged the leadership of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, dubbing him a “political novice”.

His threat to split the Punjab Congress seemed to have worked, as the high command named him the state chief a fourth time.

But, it was a different Amarinder that Punjab saw this time.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor built several campaigns around Brand Captain such as Coffee with Captain or Halke Vich Captain (Captain in assembly segment).

He also ensured that Amarinder was on the move, was accessible to workers and his poll pitch resonated with the youth, who account for half the state’s voters.

The former royal was no more the chopper-hopping politician, who started his campaign day late and ended it early.

This time, he was the early bird — he hit the road in January 2016, a year before the election was called.

Amarinder also dumped his infamous coterie for the warroom led by Kishor’s team, I-PAC. He worked closely with high command appointees such as Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary and his grandson, Nirvan Singh.

Amarinder has won a famous victory for the Congress, battered by at a string of poll defeats. But, he has promised voters the moon. His real test will be to come good on his promises.