Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 27

The Army on Saturday celebrated 72nd Infantry Day in Srinagar.

The celebrations began with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony, in which Lt Gen AK Bhatt, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Chinar Corps, and all ranks paid tributes to the martyrs at the Badami Bagh Cantonment, an Army statement said.

Paying homage to the sacrifices of valiant soldiers, the GOC said the real tribute to the martyrs would be to remain committed to the cause for which they had laid down their lives.

He also urged the troops to continue to work with dedication and steadfast approach.

“We are celebrating Infantry Day at a place which has a historic significance. It is here that the Indian Army began its campaign to evict Pakistani invaders and succeeded in doing so with glory. We are all grateful to our valiant martyrs, heroes and soldiers,” he said.

• 
• The pilot and co-pilot of a two-seater IAF microlight aircraft and farmers in a sugarcane field of Baghpat district had a miraculous escape when no one was hurt as the aircraft crashed into the fields on Friday
• The ML-130 aircraft had taken off from the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad as part of a drill for Air Force Day on Oct 8 when it crashed in Rajhaud village of Baghpat around 10am
• The pilot and co-pilot had ejected with the help of parachutes moments before the aircraft hit a peepal tree before nose-diving into the ground
• Baghpat district magistrate Rishirendra Kumar said barring the nose of the aircraft there were no other major damages TNS

Ashok Raina

Kangra, September 30

He is in the twilight of his life. Yet, 85-year-old Subedar Rumel Singh, proud father of a martyr’s son, has still has not given up hope of getting the local government school in his village named in the memory of his valiant son in his lifetime.

Government apathy has resulted in the octogenarian running from pillar to post for the past 17 years to see the Government High School, Bhanala, named in the memory of his son. Being a retired “fauji” himself, Rumel Singh says his only last wish in life is to see the memory of his son, Pawan Kumar, who died fighting the militants in Anantnag on August 29, 2001, being kept alive by naming the school after him.

It was 17 years ago that 25-year-old Pawan Kumar in Rashtriya Rifles sacrificed his life at the altar of the nation while fighting terrorists in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Narrating his woes, Rumail said out of the Rs 3 lakh given by the government on the demise of his son, he donated Rs 2 lakh for Vivekanand Hospital, Palampur and Rs 1 lakh for construction of three rooms of the Government High School, Bhanala.

“The state government issued a notification on March 25, 2014 regarding naming of high school, Bhanala, in the name of martyr Pawan Kumar Singh with certain conditions which included a no objection certificate (NOC) from the tehsildar concerned,” he said.

He further said that Tehsildar Shahpur in a letter under No 296 dated 24-4-2014 addressed to Headmaster of the school said that the land on which the said school was constructed is owned by Forest Department and has not been transferred to the Education Department. “It has been four years but the NoC has still not been given despite my making more than hundred rounds of the Forest and Education offices,” he laments.

“It was a sad but proud moment for me to see my son’s body wrapped in the tricolor but today my patience seems to be running out. Is the sacrifice worth it when government officials seem so unconcerned towards supreme sacrifice made by valiant sons,” he quips, while losing hope.

“It is probably easier to fight the enemy across the border than red tape back home,” is how villagers from the village express their helplessness and frustration.

New York, September 29

The Trump administration has reiterated its support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council, a senior US official said, emphasizing that the two “global partners” shared a commitment to work together on global challenges like denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Region Alice Wells said US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale met Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale at the beginning of the week of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly to build on the momentum of the first 2+2 meeting between the US and India in New Delhi as well as to reaffirm the strategic convergence that Washington saw in the bilateral ties.

“We really are global partners and the meeting (between Hale and Gokhale) reaffirmed our shared commitment to working together on international challenges–from a denuclearised Korean Peninsula to a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan,” Wells told reporters on Friday during a briefing on US priorities in the South and Central Asia Region.The American diplomat said the US reiterated its support for India’s role in a reformed UN Security Council.

The New York meeting was a continuation of the discussion at the 2+2 meeting.

“It’s a conversation that really covers the map in terms of how we can work together in Afghanistan, what we are doing to promote free and open Indo-Pacific and also in particular, how we are both very supportive of the democratic developments that we see transpiring in the Maldives,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called Maldives President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and congratulated him.

The US, too, congratulated the people of the Maldives, saying they had peacefully raised their voices to determine the future of their country.

During Modi’s visit to Washington in June last year, Trump had supported India’s bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UNSC and in other multilateral institutions such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

“As global non-proliferation partners, the United States expressed strong support for India’s early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group,” a joint statement issued after the meeting between Modi and Trump had said. PTI

In response to a question on whether there is a need for one more surgical strike, General Bipin Rawat responded saying yes.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said he fully backs another surgical strike across the LoC

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Attari, September 25

Watching the 25-minute Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah Joint check-post (JPC) will be a different experience from Wednesday onwards.

The Director General, BSF, KK Sharma, will inaugurate the expanded version of the spectators’ gallery at the Attari-Wagah JPC on Wednesday.

The revamped gallery offers a comfortable view with its enhanced seating arrangement in a horseshoe shape.

Recently, new gates were installed on both sides of the border to enable the viewers to have a clear glimpse of the ceremony.

Now, the 80-ft Swarn Jyanti Dwar welcomes the visitors. A milestone has been placed near it with “Pakistan Next Step” written on it.

Looking at the ever-growing number of visitors, the Ministry of Home Affairs had sanctioned this project in 2015. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had laid its foundation stone on March 22, 2015, coinciding with the golden jubilee celebrations of the raising of the BSF.

BSF DIG JS Oberoi said earlier, the capacity of the visitors’ gallery was just 5,000 whereas over 10,000 people used to gather on a daily basis. “On special days or weekends, the numbers used to shoot up to 15,000-18,000 and it was difficult for us to accommodate them. So the leftover crowd had to contend by just watching the ceremony on giant screens installed outside. Now, at least 20,000 persons can be accommodated at ease,” he added.

Former Superintending Engineer of the CPWD Nand Lal, under whose supervision the new gallery came up, said it cost around Rs 37 crore, including the new gate. He said It included a conference hall with the latest equipment, lounges, dining space, suites, medical room, public conveniences for men, women and disabled, ample parking area and a control room, along with a sound system, for proper acoustics and a network of CCTV cameras.

“The project has been carried out in five phases and completed in three years and four months despite several constraints. It is a tall and vast structure having fort like architectural features designed by an in-house CPWD team. Even the gate was designed by our team. The sitting steps have been provided flooring with the combination of traditional red and dholepur sand stones. We have also provided a provision for rainwater harvesting, besides a dedicated substation with power back up, audio-video conferencing system, automatic fire alarm and fire-fighting system and energy efficient LED lights,” he added.  Another added attraction is a museum parallel to the gallery.

ribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26

Less than two months after the Indian Air Force expressed safety and other concerns regarding the Chandigarh international airport, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered interim ban on further construction in a 100-metre area from the boundary wall of the landing field.

A Division Bench of the High Court also made it clear the to Greater Mohali Area Development Authority to carry on with the activity of demolishing illegal structures falling in the area under its jurisdiction. Taking note of GMADA’s assurance that it would issue orders in this regard by Monday, the Bench directed the state of Punjab to provide adequate police force.

The Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli also made the Zirakpur Municipal Corporation a party to the ongoing public interest litigation on making the airport fully operational. It was also directed to initiate action against illegal constructions in accordance with law. The Bench also called for a detailed report on the issue.

Appearing before the Bench, Assistant Solicitor General of India Chetan Mittal said the issue of illegal constructions was being raised since long. He added that the worst affected was Phabat village in Zirakpur, where multi-storeyed buildings were coming up overnight.

Elaborating, Mittal said the height of the airport boundary wall was 11 ft and any structure higher than that was dangerous. Quoting an example, he said a joint survey was carried out after a high-level meeting of all stakeholders was convened by the amicus curiae or the friend of the court, senior advocate ML Sarin. However, the Zirakpur EO did not participate in the process.

Besides, the construction of a building was brought to the Mohali Additional Deputy Commissioner’s notice again and again, initially when it started, again when the first floor was constructed and then when the second floor came up. Taking a serious view of the matter, the Bench verbally asked the EO to seek voluntary retirement.

The Chandigarh Administration, in the meantime, undertook to acquire and pay for 0.6 acre essential for providing the CAT-III facility to enable landing during poor visibility. The Bench, during the course of the hearing, was informed that major deadlines for pending works had been fixed following the meeting convened by senior advocate Sarin. The Bench was told that the work on resurfacing and extension of the airport would be completed by March 31 next year.

The work on completing lighting and installation of the CAT-II facility, too, would be over by that date. Tata Power SED, the company involved in the installation of the CAT-II system, has also been made a party for furnishing the requisite undertaking regarding the completion of work.

Multi-storeyed buildings at Phabat

• Appearing before the Bench, Assistant Solicitor General of India Chetan Mittal said the issue of illegal and unauthorised constructions was being raised since long. He said Phabat village in Zirakpur was the worst affected, where multi-storeyed buildings were coming up overnight. He said the height of the airport boundary wall was 11 ft and any structure higher than that was dangerous

Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference on Rafale deal at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 22

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday said there was “clear-cut” corruption in the Rafale deal and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clear his position on the issue.

Gandhi’s blistering attack on Modi during a press conference came a day after former French president Francois Hollande was quoted as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as Dassault Aviation’s Indian partner in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal.

The prime minister must clear his stand on the Rafale deal after Hollande’s remarks, he said.

“Why is the prime minister silent? It is a matter related to defence forces, it is a matter related to corruption,” he said.

He also claimed that various defence ministers of the NDA government have been lying to protect Modi.

Gandhi demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe and Hollande can also be called.

“We are absolutely convinced that the prime minister is corrupt… He must clarify,” Gandhi said.

“It is very important for the prime minister now to either accept Mr. Hollande’s statement or state that Mr. Hollande is lying and tell what the truth is,” he said.

‘Surgical strikes’

Taking to Twitter earlier in the day, Gamdhi called Reliance Defence’s involvement in the deal “surgical strike” on the country’s defence forces.

“The PM and Anil Ambani jointly carried out a One Hundred & Thirty Thousand Crore SURGICAL STRIKE on the Indian Defence forces. Modi Ji you dishonoured the blood of our martyred soldiers. Shame on you. You betrayed India’s soul,” Gandhi tweeted.

The report in ‘Mediapart’, a French language publication, quoted Hollande as saying recently: “It was the Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice; we took the interlocutor who was given to us”.

Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French president Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. The opposition party has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the private firm even though it didn’t have any experience in the aerospace sector.

Hollande’s remarks contradict the central government’s stand that Dassault chose Reliance Defence as an Indian partner to fulfil its offset obligations and that the establishment had nothing to do with it. With PTI

(From left) Lt-Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi, Lieutenant Payal Gupta and Lt-Commander Swati P, the crew of INS Tarini, India’s first all-women circumnavigation expedition of the globe, pose on the concluding day of the ISB Leadership Summit 2018 in Mohali on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

At home in sea, these voyagers sail to see the world

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 8

On the directive of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Punjab government has declared a gazetted public holiday on the occasion of ‘First Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji’ (installation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji in Sri Harmandir Sahib in 1604) on September 10, Monday.

Disclosing this here, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that all the offices of Punjab government, boards, corporations and educational institutions would remain closed on the occasion. This holiday was earlier included in the state’s list of restricted holidays.