Students of Indian Military Academy and workers of NIM celebrate Holi at Kedarnath shrine on Thursday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 25

A group of cadets from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, and employees of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) celebrated Holi at the Kedarnath shrine yesterday.The students, who arrived at Kedaranath on March 20, are on a trekking tour around the region. For the IMA cadets, celebrating Holi at the shrine was a memorable experience.Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, principal of NIM, extended Holi greetings to the IMA cadets and NIM workers who have been working relentlessly to restore the area devastated in the 2013 flash floods.

Nikhila Pant Dhawan
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 21
Acting on the demand of panchayats of Gehri Buttar, Jodhpur Romana, Gehri Bhagi, Mehta, Shergarh, Bhagwangarh, Gurusar Sainewala, Phullomitthi, Sangat Kalan, Jassi Bagh Wali, Kishanpura, Naruana, Jai Singh Wala, Baho Sivian and Meeya villages, the district administration today asked the Army to remove the net which it had cast in the Bathinda distributary of the Sirhind canal that passes through the Bathinda cantonment.
The district administration issued the orders here today taking cognisance of the fact that the casting of the net was affecting the crop in the villages and might also affect sowing of the cotton crop which was to be done within the next 20 days. The Irrigation Department had also announced uninterrupted water supply to the field starting April 16 to aid cotton crop sowing.
As per information, the Irrigation Department has even threatened police action against the Army for casting the net and disrupting water supply to the villages.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner Basant Garg had called Army personnel for a meeting on March 22 as well.
Following the Pathankot incident, the Army had cast a net into the Bathinda distributory following which the water supply to various villages was severely affected. Village residents had then brought the issue to the notice of the DC and the DC had assured swift action in the matter.
Elaborating on the issue, sarpanch of Jai Singh Wala Hamir Singh said following the irections by the DC, the Army had removed the net from the distributary but cast it again after a few days. Farmers approached the DC again on March 18 and followed up the matter today as well. Phullomitthi farmer Ajaib Singh said not only the irrigation was affected but the water supply to the households in the village was also disrupted.
District general secretary of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Darsha Singh said if the district administration failed to take action in the matter, the union would assemble farmers from the affected villages and would start staging protests outside the Army Cantonment from March 31.
Meanwhile, Upkaran Singh, XEN, Department of Irrigation, confirmed that the department had already issued a notice to the Army for the removal of the net and in case the Army fails to abide by the notice by March 31, the department would be left with no option but to resort to police action against the Army under the Canal Act.

Cadidates sit around a bonfire to keep themselves warm at night in Doda district. Tribune photo

Our Correspondent

Doda, March 17

Army aspirants, who are staying here to participate in a recruitment drive, are spending sleepless nights on footpaths, outside shops, inside vehicles and in other public places in the hill district of Doda.The 159 Infantry Battalion, Territorial Army, is organising a recruitment drive from March 15 to 25 for unemployed educated youth of Udhampur, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts at a sports stadium Doda. But the authorities made no accommodation arrangements for the candidates despite knowing full well about cold-wave conditions prevalent in the region for the past few days after rain and snow in upper reaches.A majority of the youths, who are from rural areas and cannot afford accommodation in hotels and lodges, have been forced to spend nights in the open (as at least two days in the city to complete the recruitment process).“We were greatly inconvenienced at night (Tuesday) as we were sleeping outside a shop when it started raining. We had to shift to another place in the middle of the night. Moreover, the authorities were not allowing us to take shelter inside the stadium. Some of my friends were not feeling well and could not perform during the physical test,” said Rahul, an aspirant.Mushtaq Ahmed Wani, another aspirant, said, “We hired a cab by spending Rs 2,000 to reach here for recruitment, but we are disheartened to see the kind of treatment given to us by the authorities. Hundreds of aspirants are without food and shelter. Now, it is very difficult for us to complete a race on an empty stomach.”Babur Ram, father of an aspirant from Dachhan, Kishtwar, said, “It was very disheartening to see the youths sleeping in unhygienic conditions and without blankets. They are also unable to find drinking water, food, toilet and other facilities. It is the responsibility of the administration and the recruitment agency to provide facilities to the aspirants if they have arranged such a big recruitment drive for them.”Doda Deputy Commissioner Bhupinder Kumar said, “It’s a serious issue, but whatever facilities are available with us, we are providing to them. We had already apprised the recruiting authorities that we had no accommodation available and also advised them to conduct the recruitment drive on a district basis.”

New Delhi, March 14: Revised pensions under the ‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP) scheme have been given to over two lakh defence pensioners along with the first installment of arrears, the government said on Monday, March 14. It said “revised pensionary benefits” were released to 221,224 pensioners drawing service and disability pensions from the Defence Pension Disbursing Offices, functioning under the Controller General of Defence Accounts. “The amount along with the first instalment of arrears had been released and credited by the defence ministry to the accounts of these pensioners on March 1,” the statement said. In the case of the remaining 146,335 family pensioners drawing pension from the Defence Pension Drawing Officers, payment along with arrears was expected to be released by March-end. The ministry said the additional annual financial increase in grants for OROP came to Rs.7,488.70 crore.

The total arrears to be paid from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015 was Rs.10,925.11 crore. The increase in pensions will cost the defence ministry an additional Rs.4,721.34 crore, with the defence pension liability coming to Rs.64,959.34 crore for 2015-16. IANS

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Tribune News Service
Jammu/Srinagar, March 13
After frequent Chinese incursions in the Ladakh region, the Army is learnt to have spotted People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistan side of north Kashmir, sending alarm bells ringing among security agencies.
Intelligence agencies say “intercepts” of some Pakistan Army officers suggested that the Chinese troops were in the area to create some infrastructure along the LoC.
The Army authorities are tightlipped, but sources say higher-ups are constantly being updated about the presence of Chinese troops opposite Indian forward posts along the LoC in the Nowgam sector.
SD Goswami, defence spokesperson, Northern Command, said he was not “fully aware” of the development, while Col NN Joshi, defence spokesperson, 15 Corps, said there was no information about the presence of PLA troops.
Fresh inputs on Chinese troops have corroborated reports of a leading US newspaper that Pakistan had handed over de-facto control of the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to China, where it had been witnessing simmering rebellion against Islamabad.
In August 2010, The New York Times had reported that there were two important developments in Gilgit-Baltistan: “A simmering rebellion against the Pakistan rule and the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the PLA in the area, which is closed to the world.”
“China wants a grip on the strategic area to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan… It is building high-speed rail and road links,” the newspaper had said. On March 27, 2011, former Northern Command Chief Lt General KT Parnaik had said Chinese troops were present in the PoK, posing a military challenge to India.
“China has gained considerable foothold in Gilgit and Baltistan by way of infrastructure development and helped Pakistan in exploiting the resources in the region. It has made numerous roads, bridges and power projects in Gilgit and Baltisan. It (Chinese presence) poses military challenges to India and not only along the Sino-Indian border but also along the Line of Control,” he had said.
The PLA troops were first spotted in the latter part of last year. They have since been seen opposite the Tangdhar sector as well. In this area, Chinese government-owned China Gezhouba Group Company Ltd has been building a Jhelum-Neelum 970 MW Hydel power project in response to India’s Kishanganga power project in Bandipore of north Kashmir.
Intercepts also suggest the PLA is planning to dig tunnels in Leepa Valley in the PoK to build an all-weather road that will serve as an alternative route to reach Karakoram Highway.
In recent years, Chinese troops have occasionally transgressed into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region where the boundary between the two countries is not properly demarcated.
(With agency inputs)

Along Nowgam posts

• PLA troops have been spotted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, opposite Indian forward posts along the Line of Control in the Nowgam sector
• Intelligence agencies say “intercepts” of Pak Army officers suggest the Chinese troops are creating infrastructure in PoK

‘Why Kashmiri leaders silent’

• “How is it that Kashmiri leaders who have so much to say about Indian troops in J&K have nothing to say about Chinese troops across LoC?”— Omar Abdullah, Former J-K CM

CHINESE TROOPS SEEN ALONG LINE OF CONTROL IN PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR

For those who raise alarm over the radicalisation of youth and home grown militancy, this should come as a good news. Shunning taboos, hundreds of Kashmiri youth thronged the army recruitment rallies to become the proud soldiers in order to serve the country.

Such was the enthusiasm that more than 2,300 Kashmiri youth applied for less than 50 posts in different branches of the Indian Army. Over 1,500 candidates turned up for the 30 vacancies of soldiers at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) Regimental Centre in the first phase of recruitment rally for Shopian and Srinagar districts.

In the second phase of recruitment to fill two vacancies of tradesmen, over 700 candidates appeared in the rally from almost all districts of Jammu and Kashmir with maximum representation from Baramulla, Bandipora and Anantnag districts.

“The army offers a lifetime opportunity of adventure, education, progression besides dignity and self-esteem to a soldier, as also to his family. The overwhelming response to the rally is but a reaffirmation of the Kashmiri youth’s growing aspirations to embrace the noble profession of soldering for the nation,” said Colonel NN Joshi, defence spokesman at Srinagar.

Given the huge craving among the youth to join the forces, Indian Army has planned several recruitment rallies across Jammu and Kashmir in coming months.

“Army is sensitive to the growing desire of Kashmiri youth and has started conducting recruitment in a phased manner. The rallies for recruitment into all categories of the army will be held in Sunjuwan in Jammu, Bandipora in Kashmir and Drass in Ladakh in the coming months,” said Colonel Joshi.

The huge response to army recruitment rallies comes in the backdrop of the reports of rising radicalisation of youth and home grown militancy in the valley. Figures reveal that over 60 local and highly educated youth joined the militancy in the last year alone sparking fears about the new breed of radicalised ultras overtaking the foreign counterparts in the valley.

In contrast, 242 young soldiers of the state passed out from JAKLI centre on Saturday after grueling training of eleven months. What was icing on the cake was the huge rush of people thronging the JAKLI centre on Saturday to watch the parade by the young soldiers.

Over 3,000 spectators including proud parents and relatives of the soldiers, veterans and other guests watched the parade of the young recruits turned soldiers.

Lieutenant General Satish Dua, General officer Commanding (GOC), in his address praised their contribution in encouraging more youth from J&K to come forward to join security forces. “He even highlighted the vital role played by their parents in motivating their children and wards to join this noble profession,” said Colonel Joshi.

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 10

With an increase in incidents of violence around gunfight sites, the Army today warned of “appropriate action” against protesters who took the law in their hands.The warning came a day after a large number of protesters in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district threw stones on security men during a major counter-insurgency operation that left two foreign militants dead.The police said stone throwers helped over half a dozen trapped militants, including a self-styled commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, to escape from the encounter site.Two civilians were injured in Army firing in the Aishmuqam area of Anantnag during a cordon and search operation on Tuesday.“In case a crowd takes the law in its hands and threatens life and property, security forces will initiate appropriate action to counter it,” said an Army spokesman. The spokesman said security forces were “forced to open cautionary fire” in Aishmuqam.“The Aishmuqam incident was investigated and it was established that security forces were forced to open cautionary fire to prevent any further injury, loss or damage to personnel, weapon equipment and other government property, in which two persons resorting to stone throwing were injured,” he said.Of late, there has been a trend, mostly in districts of south Kashmir, of locals throwing stones near encounter sites to ensure that holed up militants manage to escape the cordon.

A tran-sborder tunnel originating from Pakistan that opened 30m inside Zero Line on the Indo-Pak border in RS Pura sector of Jammu district.

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 9

The discovery of a 30-foot-long and 10-foot-deep tunnel running through the international border (IB) in the RS Pura sector of Jammu district has highlighted the need for a tunnel-detection technology.India has been finding it difficult to fulfil its plan to equip the new anti-infiltration system with a tunnel-detection technology. It has sought information on the tunnel-detection system from Israel, which claims to have used such technology to guard its borders and prevent cross-border attacks.“The possibility of more tunnels being found along the IB cannot be ruled out. The BSF discovered the tunnel in the RS Pura sector only after a portion of the tunnel had caved in. But what if there is a tunnel made of concrete? India needs technologies to detect such tunnels,” said a government official.“The Israelis claim to have seismic technology and ground-penetrating radars. But these tools can only work up to a certain depth. They are useful for Israel which has a shorter border with the West Bank and Gaza strip as compared to our border (IB). It is yet to see how to use the radar technology along the Indian borders,” said a security official.A 2012 BSF committee, constituted to submit a report on patches along the IB where the water level is low and the soil is conducive to digging tunnels, said there were areas vulnerable to tunnelling in Jammu and Punjab.The committee report said the radar technology would not be able to detect deep tunnels like the one found in Jammu in 2012 which was 30-foot-deep.At present, the BSF has been using counter-measures such as driving tractors over areas vulnerable to tunnelling and second-tier deployment along the IB in Jammu. But even these measures cannot pinpoint the exact location of a tunnel.Besides, the BSF believes persons (from Pakistan) may use underwater and aerial means to infiltrate into the country. “This could be done using machines to move under the surface of a river meandering between India and Pakistan,” said the official.

Anti-infiltration system

The anti-infiltration system with the tunnel-detection technology, which India plans to procure, is called the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution (CIBMS). It integrates sensors, communication, infrastructure, response, and command and control. It will be set up along the IB with Pakistan, including the unfenced gap. The CIBMS system has also been planned to counter infiltration with the use of technologies such as SONAR.

The Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Wednesday.

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 2

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Navjot Kaur Sidhu sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday in detecting the alleged multi-crore scam related to the misappropriation of funds given by the Centre for the rehabilitation of victims of the1984 anti-Sikh riots in Punjab.Approximately 22,000 riot-affected families came to Punjab, out of which around 15,000 families had come to Ludhiana. In June 2006, the then Union Government sanctioned Rs 2 lakh as compensation per family and an amount of Rs 440 crore was forwarded to the SAD-led Punjab Government.She alleged that in connivance with some Akali leaders, the money was siphoned off in the name of bogus beneficiaries. She demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam and asked for the assistance of the CAG to expose the guilty leaders.A three-member committee comprising the then DC, the ADC and an Akali leader, was constituted to disburse the amount.“Thousands of identification cards for distribution of Rs 2 lakh per family as compensation were found bogus. Also, those who were given the grants, received only Rs 1 lakh each and Rs1 lakh was taken as bribe.Thousands of card holders who did not receive their compensation were shown in papers to have already received it,” she said.She visited the PMO and discussed the matter at length. “The affected families met me and narrated their problems. More than 500 government flats were forcibly acquired, sold and hundreds of such flats were being illegally rented out. I brought every detail to the notice of the Prime Minister with proofs. I have urged him to reopen the inquiry, so that the aggrieved families can get their dues,” she said.The Ludhiana Vigilance Department investigated the matter on the basis of the complaints filed by the affected families and it had found gross discrepancies in the report it filed subsequently, but these were never probed.The affected families knocked at the door of the high court which directed that action be taken against the culprits, but the Punjab Government remained silent, she alleged.