The dropped fuel tank

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 29
A minor fire broke out on the runway of the Indian Naval Station, Dega, Visakhapatnam, on Monday when a fuel drop tank of a MIG-29K fighter jet got jettisoned accidentally.
The MIG was taking off on a routine training sortie.The ground support staff quickly doused the fire. No one was injured and no major damage was suffered by the aircraft or the runway.

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The incident is being investigated.After a fuel tank got detached while taking off on the runway, the pilot was told to jettison the second fuel tank at sea. Due to malfunctioning of the system, this did not happen and when the aircraft was coming back for landing, the second fuel tank jettisoned on its own. It fell in the parking lot of the local CISF base.

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that it has extended by six months the term of the one member judicial commission on OROP which has commenced public hearings on grievances of ex-servicemen.

The submission was made by the government before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar which was hearing a PIL for public hearing of ex-servicemen’s grievances as well as extension of the term of the commission, headed by Justice (retired) L Narasimha Reddy. Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia told the court that the first public hearing was held at Chandigarh on Tuesday and would be held at various other places across the country, ending on September 21. He said the hearing in Delhi would be held on August 19, after which the petitioner’s lawyer, Satya Ranjan Swain, said details of the time and venue of the hearing have not been disclosed.

Chinese vessels are seen around Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. Reuters file photo

Beijing, August 17

Hailing India for keeping “neutral stand” over the South China Sea issue despite pressure from the US and Japan, state-run Chinese media said on Wednesday that the relationship between India and China had been developing smoothly despite contradictions and frictions.

“When it comes to security, after the final award of the South China Sea arbitration was announced, the Indian Government has kept a neutral stance despite the pressure from Washington and Tokyo,” an article in the state-run Global Times said.

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Calling for “solid step forward” to improve relations, the article said “admittedly, there are some contradictions and frictions between China and India, but the overall bilateral relations have been developing smoothly”.

It also criticised the Indian media for “going too far” to blame China for blocking India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and linking last week’s Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India to the South China Sea issue.

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“Indian media has spared no effort in linking Wang’s visit to the South China Sea issue and the country’s failure in joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),” it said.

“Regarding the NSG case, Indian media has gone too far, for it is not at all a problem between Beijing and New Delhi. It was the US, not China, who made the relevant rules for NSG membership, and India failed to meet the criteria of entering the club. A dozen NSG members are now opposing India’s bid, thus, it does not make sense for Indian media to point an accusing finger at China,” it said.

“The two nations may have discussed the issue during Wang’s visit, and it is possible for both sides to clarify their own ideas, stances and policies over the matter. But the conjecture that Wang was trying to win India’s support over the South China Sea by helping New Delhi with the NSG membership doesn’t make sense at all,” it said.

This is the second article in as many days by the daily to criticise Indian media.

On August 15, another article blamed the Indian press for “stirring up negative sentiments” against China by highlighting the divergences in the bilateral ties.

“During the Wang’s visit the two sides may have also discussed how to further promote a closer partnership, which was raised during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit,” the article said.

“For the moment, when we talk about Sino-India ties, we tend to use the phrase ‘relations are generally stable without major conflicts’. Yet this should not be the highest expectation we hold for the relationship,” it said.

“Beijing and New Delhi have raised hopes for economic and trade cooperation, but turning them into reality requires wider consensus and more consultations,” it said.

Acknowledging problems in the bilateral collaboration on economic and trade issues which “used to be one of the most positive parts of the bilateral relations, it said “joint works in this regard have not been going smoothly in recent years”.

Last month, an arbitration court in The Hague ruled that China had no historic title over the South China Sea and had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights there. The decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court’s authority. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have counter claims.  China claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which trade of $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. — Agencies

Air Marshal NJS Dhillon

Chandigarh: Air Marshal NJS Dhillon has been appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command. Prior to this, he was the Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 1981 and has over 3,700 hours of accident-free flying to his credit.In 1991, he topped the Fighter Strike Leader Course at the IAF’s Tactics and Air Combat Defence Establishment and later served there as the Head of Training. He has commanded a MiG-21 squadron and an operational fighter base. — TNS

The US told to ”stop making irresponsible remarks”. Thinkstock

Beijing, August 6

China on Saturday lashed out at the US for describing jail sentences given to four human rights activists as “politically motivated”, saying the American accusations are groundless and constituted interference in its internal affairs.“The US accusations are groundless and China urged the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously, and stop making irresponsible remarks on the case,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.She said China firmly opposed American interference in its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.Hua was commenting on the remarks made by US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner concerning the conviction of four Chinese human rights activists.Toner had said that the charges against the activists were “vague and apparently politically motivated” and urged Chinese officials to release the detainees and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) “China is a country under the rule of law, and Chinese judicial authorities deal with related cases in accordance with law so that the legitimate rights and interests of defendants could be effectively protected,” Hua was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.She claimed that Chinese people widely supported the trial and generally opposed any actions that endangered the national security and undermined the social stability.A court in Tianjin had convicted them of subverting state power after serial trials in the past four days.Of the four, Hu Shigen, described by the state media as an illegal church leader, got the longest prison term of seven and a half years. He is the eldest at 61 and had engaged in state power subversion since the 1990s, Xinhua said.All of them accepted the charges and expressed remorse, it said. PTI

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, August 1

Out of 238 posts of doctors at government hospitals in Rajouri, 150 are lying vacant, making it difficult for the people to get treatment.People here often call the District Hospital, Rajouri, as the “referral hospital”, for patients are mostly referred to other hospitals due to non-availability of specialised doctors at the hospital.Out of 54 regular posts sanctioned for senior and junior consultants, consultants, MBBS doctors, dental surgeon and medical officer, 27 posts are lying vacant in the District Hospital while two to three doctors have managed their postings against the posts which don’t exist. In 2011, a CT SCAN unit was established at the hospital, but no radiologist has been appointed. For the last more than one month the hospital is operating without a head after the transfer of its medical superintendent.Junior doctors have been looking after the OPDs, while senior doctors were ignoring the work, alleged a doctor. “Even the ultra sound is being conducted by a MBBS doctor who was temporarily trained to avoid the ire of people,” said a source.In such times, the Army has come to the rescue of the people at Rajouri. “Had the Army not been providing medical aid to the poor at their door steps through its medical camps, many among them would have died due to poor government health services,” said Yogesh Sharma, a social activist.Besides official engagements, various Army units deployed in Rajouri under Romeo Force, Uniform Force and Ace of Spades Division have been providing every possible modern medical treatment to the people in far-off and border areas here.“The Army has introduced laparoscopic surgery in the Army hospital at Rajouri and many civilians have been benefitted, including those who were denied treatment by civil doctors. The hospital has conducted cataract operations for many poor patients who couldn’t afford expenses at government or private hospitals,” said a senior Army officer.Recently, Romeo Force had conducted a landmark specialist medical camp for the people of border and far-off villages at Surankot and provided the services of super-specialist doctors of great repute.

Many posts vacant

• Out of 54 regular posts sanctioned for senior and junior consultants, consultants, MBBS doctors, dental surgeon and medical officer, 27 posts are lying vacant in the District Hospital
• In 2011, a CT SCAN unit was established at the hospital, but no radiologist has been appointed
• Had the Army not been providing medical aid to the poor at their door step through its medical camps, many would have died due to poor health services, said Yogesh Sharma, a social activist

A ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting on the occasion of People’s Liberation Army Day being conducted in the Chushul sector in Daulat Beg Oldie. A Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 1

A ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) on the occasion of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Day was conducted today at the Chinese BPM Hut in Moldo Garrison in Chushul Sector of Eastern Ladakh and TWD (Ten Wen Den) in DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie).The delegations were led by Brigadier Navneet Kumar from the Indian side and Senior Colonel Fan Jun from the Chinese side.At TWD, the garrisons were led by Colonel BS Uppal from the Indian side and Colonel Song Zhou Li from the Chinese side.Giving details, a defence spokesperson said the ceremonial meetings were marked by saluting the National flag of China by members of both the delegations. This was followed by the ceremonial address of the delegation leaders, comprising of an exchange of greetings, wishes and vote of thanks and reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at functional level at the border, he said.Thereafter, a cultural programme showcasing the Chinese culture and traditional grandeur was organised.At both the locations, the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment.The delegations parted amidst feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the LAC. Both sides also sought to uphold the treaties and agreement signed between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC.

Jaipur: The Border Security Force has arrested an Army auditor from near the border city of Dungargarh in Bikaner after they found him carrying heroin worth Rs 17.5 crore and explosives on Friday. The suspect, Samrath Lal Meena, who had been posted at Suratgarh, was found with more than 3 kg of heroin, while he was travelling by bus from Bikaner to Jaipur.  A search operation conducted jointly by the BSF and police revealed he was carrying explosives and detonators and Rs 35,940 in cash in a bag. oc

Aarti Kapur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27

Panjab University (PU) will offer the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chair at the Department of Defence and National Security Studies to Lt Gen Kamal Jit Singh (AVSM), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command. PU Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover said a proposal in this regard would be placed before the Syndicate for approval during a meeting on July 31.“Lt Gen Singh will retire on July 31 after which an invitation will be sent to him for approval. He will also visit the campus on August 17 to deliver a talk on national security challenges and response,” the VC said.Chairman of the department Jaskaran Singh said the chair had been lying vacant since its inception. In fact, the chair was transferred to the Department of History a few years ago but nobody was appointed to it.A special committee constituted under the chairmanship of the former Panjab University VC and senior senator RP Bambah had recommended that the chair should again be transferred to the Department of Defence and National Security Studies and a retired senior military officer should be appointed to it.Meanwhile, deliberations are on to fill the Bharti Telecom Chair, one of the prominent chairs at the university. As per  norms, only a senior engineer can be appointed to the chair.A proposal will also be tabled about the facilities to be offered to the dignitaries heading the varsity chairs under the foundation for higher education and research fund.   

Eminent persons to be appointed to 10 chairsThe PU authorities have decided that eminent personalities will be appointed to 10 university chairs and the rest of the 15 will be offered to the senior most professors on the university campus.

Status of prominent chairs

• Dr Manmohan Singh Chair: Prof YK Alagh, Chancellor, Central University of Gujarat, and former Union Minister for Power, Planning, Science and Technology
• Mahatma Gandhi Chair: Ela R Bhatt, founder, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad.
• Tagore Chair: Gulzar, poet, lyricist and film director
• Jawaharlal Nehru Chair: Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister and noted economist
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chair: Lt Gen Kamal Jit Singh (AVSM), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command (name proposed).
• Rajiv Gandhi Chair: Vacant
• Sri Aurobindo Chair: Vacant
• BR Ambedkar Chair: Vacant
• Bharti Telecom Chair: Vacant
• Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair: vacant

Who comes when in PU

• August 24: Gulzar, a poet, lyricist and film director, will interact with the faculty and students. He will re-release a set of books “Gulzar Translates Tagore”. The two other books that will be released on the occasion are “Baaghbaan’ and “Nindia Chor”.
• August 29: Prof YK Alagh will deliver the first Prof JC Anand Memorial Oration.
• October 3: The fifth PU foundation day lecture will be delivered by Ela R Bhatt.
• Ex-Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh likely to visit in September.

Facilities to eminent personalities during visit

• Business class air fare
• Car with driver (if required)
• Stay in a hotel or PU guest house.
• Honorarium of Rs 5,000 per day.

CHANDIGARH: In its follow-up audit, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pointed out that the process of procurement of fresh ration is still non-competitive in northern, western and southern commands despite recommendations. The report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

Audit examined a sample of 383 contracts for fresh ration in the three commands and it was found that in nearly 66% cases, procurements were made only on one or two quotations. “Procurement with limited competition was carried out despite the fact that the number of vendors registered for fresh items during the period (201314 and 2014-15) ranged between 94 and141,” said CAG.

After examining the 2011 report of CAG on supply chain of ration in army, the public accounts committee (PAC) had made 15 recommendations in 2013, of which the government accepted 12. However, only two of them were implemented, said CAG. It adds, “We observed that there was no expansion in vendor base during the period under review. On the contrary, the number of vendors registered under all categories in Northern, Western and Southern Commands had reduced from 141, 98 and 132 in 2013-14 to 129, 89 and 125 in 2014-15, respectively. Further, the vendors continue to be registered for all items despite PAC recommendations for item-specific vendors.” Earlier, the PAC had pointed out that reasonable rates (RR), determined by a panel of officers before opening of tenders, and accepted rates (AR) of fresh ration were much below the average local market rates (ALMR). Variation in contract rates within the same geographical area was also pointed out. In this regard, the PAC had recommended time-bound modifications in procurement procedure to rectify the anomalies and the ministry had accepted them (March 2013). “The revision of procedure is however still under process (June 2015),” said CAG.

At selected stations in Southern Command, it was observed that RR and AR of fresh items was up to 41% below the ALMR in 2013-14. However, in 2014-15, the RR and AR were respectively found 46% and 41% higher than the ALMR.

The AR of fruit at various stations in Western and Northern Commands was between 15% and 48% below the ALMR in 2013-14.

Also, on variation in contracted rates within the same geographical area, the CAG said that the rate of vegetables at Akhnoor in 2013-14 was 29% higher than the rates at Nagrota. Rate of fruit during 2013-14 at BD Bari (Jammu) and Akhnoor was 24% and 13% higher than the rate at Nagrota. Rate of fruit at Nagrota in 2014-15 was 23% higher than the accepted rate of the previous year. Western Command rates of vegetables in 2014-15 at Patiala, Chandimandir and Ludhiana were 13-28% higher than the rates of previous year and the rates of fruit in the same year at Ambala, Patiala, Chandimandir and Ludhiana were 20-28% higher than the rates accepted in 2013-14.

Audit examined the feedback reports generated by 39 units in the Northern, Western and Eastern Commands, wherein the troops had evaluated the quality of various items of ration under seven categories. The quality of ration was graded as good or below in respect of 60% and 73% of the feedback reports pertaining to Eastern and Northern Commands, respectively, whereas in Western Command, 84% ration items were graded as excellent.

Problems dog Army’s ration supply chain: CAG

Food for thought

• The Army continues to procure items of dry rations without following the process envisaged in the Defence Procurement Manual• The full requirement of ration was not being met by the Army Purchase Organisation, leading to local purchase by supply depots at higher rates• Moreover, soldiers continues to consume rations even after the expiry of their original shelf life

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27

The Army’s supply chain management, concerned with the procurement and distribution of rations meant for troops, continues to be plagued by inconsistencies and procedural anomalies, resulting in procurement at higher rates, consumption of expired items and satisfaction level among troops deployed in operational areas remaining low.In 2011, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee put forth 12 recommendations after detailed examination of the subject to improve and streamline the supply chain management. Though these recommendations were accepted by the Ministry of Defence, the Army has implemented only two of them so far.As a result, the Army continues to procure items of dry rations without following the process envisaged in the Defence Procurement Manual. The full requirement of ration was not being met by the Army Purchase Organisation, which resulted in local purchase by supply depots at higher rates, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has observed in its latest report.To cater to the needs of its 1.13 million soldiers, the Army spends over Rs 1,500 crore annually for the procurement of dry and fresh rations, including rice, wheat, dal, sugar, tea, oil, tinned items, vegetables, fruits, meat and milk.Revealing that the Army continues to consume rations even after the expiry of their original shelf life and that modernisation of the food-testing laboratories by introducing the latest state-of-the-art technology could not fructify despite availability of funds, CAG has observed that activities related to provisioning/procurement, testing, distribution of rations could not be improved and satisfaction level of the troops, particularly in Northern and Eastern Command, remained low.CAG found that there was wide variance in requirements projected by lower formations, Army Headquarters and the MoD. While there was over procurement of some items, there was a shortfall in some items ranging from 8 to 71 per cent. There have also been wide variations of contracted rates at the same or adjacent stations.

Food for thought

• The Army continues to buy items of dry rations without following the process envisaged in Defence Procurement Manual
• The full requirement of ration was not being met by the Army Purchase Organisation, leading to local purchase by supply depots at higher rates
• Moreover, soldiers continue to consume rations even after the expiry of their original shelf life