Tribune file photo of the Siachen Glacier.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3Ten soldiers of the Indian Army are missing following an avalanche on the Siachen glacier in the northern part of the Jammu and Kashmir.The avalanche occurred this morning in the northern-most part of the 70 square km glacier that forms the tri-junction of India, Pakistan and China.The Madras Regiment is stationed at the spot where the avalanche occurred. One post on the Army – a stone bunker – has gone under the glacier. Rescue teams of the Indian Army, the Army aviation helicopters and the Indian Air Force helicopters have been pressed into service.One Junior Commissioner Officer (JCO) and nine other ranks of the Indian Army came under the avalanche, Defence PRO at Udhampur-based Northern Command Col SD Goswami said.The area has no loose snow, an avalanche at that height occurs when ice blocks move down from the heights.The average altitude in the area is 20,000 feet and day time temperatures are minus 20 degrees Celsius. Indian troops had occupied the glacier in 1984 after fears that Pakistan Army was trying the same. A 109-km long divide between India and Pakistan is called the actual ground position line (AGPL).Last month, four soldiers of 3 Ladakh Scouts were killed when their patrol party was hit by a massive avalanche in the Ladkah region of Jammu and Kashmir.In 2012, an avalanche on the Pakistani side had caused the deaths of more 30 people. — With PTI inputs

Our Correspondent,Chamba, February 2

The NCC cadet Ojasvi Sharma of Chamba won the first position in the Best Cadet competition in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.The banner was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ojasvi in New Delhi on the occasion of Republic Day. Ojasvi also got gold in the Army senior category.He hails from Chamba and is a student of RK Memorial National Public School. The staff and students of the school conveyed their congratulations to Ojasvi on his achievement.Professor Joginder Singh Dhiman, Chairman, Department of Mathematics, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, has been selected the Rashtriya Gaurav Award for his meritorious services in the fields of Education and Social Welfare by the India International Friendship Society. The award will be presented to Professor Dhiman on March 11 in New Delhi.Dr Dhiman has been actively engaged in teaching and research since 1993 and has guided 12 students for Ph.D. He is holding the Additional Charge of the Director, Pre-Examination Coaching Centre, HPU, and is the chief adviser of the equal opportunity cell established in the university.He has been instrumental in having collaboration of the HPU with the Forum of SC/ST legislators and parliamentarians for carrying forward various welfare activities pertaining to the students belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes. — TNS

Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, February 2

The Indian Air Force has drawn up plans to procure up to eight aerostat radar platforms to bolster low-level air and sea surveillance. The procurement process, which has been hanging fire for the past few years, comes in the backdrop of loopholes in land and maritime border management as have been revealed in terrorist strikes in Mumbai and Punjab.An aerostat is an unpowered helium-filled balloon tethered at a certain height above the ground. It is equipped with surveillance and communication equipment. It can remain deployed for a number of days at a stretch, scan a wide swath of area and is particularly effective for detecting low-flying or surface objects, making it a cost effective alternative to aircraft in peace time.A request for information issued by the Ministry of Defence a few days ago seeks a batch of four, six or eight aerostat systems, which can be deployed at an altitude of 15,000 feet and above, have network-centric compatibility so that they can be integrated into the IAF’s Air Command and Control System along with other assets and possess electronic warfare capabilities.Procurement of Aerostats was part of a series of recommendations to streamline border management and enhance surveillance capabilities in the aftermath of the 1999 Kargil conflict. However, little has been achieved in this direction.The IAF procured two Aerostats from Israeli firm Rafael at a cost of Rs 338 crore and inducted them into service in 2007 and 2008. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed that one of the aerostats was damaged in 2009 as standard operating procedures were not followed while bringing it down, rendering it non-operational.

HAL rolls out prototype of trainer aircraft

• Bengaluru: Public sector aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Tuesday announced rolling out the first prototype of basic trainer aircraft HTT-40. Touted as a “boost” to PM Modi’s pet theme of “Make in India”, the advances made by Hindustan Turboprop Trainer (HTT-40) will put pressure on the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is keen to make its fleet of basic trainer to consist entirely of Swiss Pilatus aircraft. TNS

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi,Hoshiarpur, January 27

A freedom fighter’s wife refused to take the honours during the Republic Day celebrations at the local police lines here yesterday. Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani was the chief guest on the occasion.Channan Kaur of Naru Nangal village, whose husband Jai Singh was the driver of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, alleged that they face several problems throughout the year, but neither the police nor the district administration gave an ear to them.She said if they have to be ignored and insulted like this, then why should they accept this two-metre cloth in the name of honour which was given to them on August 15 and January 26.She said if such attitude continued then she would have no option but to immolate herself outside the Deputy Commissioner’s door.Channan Kaur alleged that many a time the police moved her out of the police station or offices. She said the freedom fighters were not getting pension from the state government and they were only getting pension issued by the Union Government.She said whenever they raised their problems before the chief guests at Independence Day or Republic Day, they ask the DC to look into the matter, but the DCs never pay heed to them.Jyani said he had no idea why she was saying so. He added that all officers listen to her and they had even gone to her village.

Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 23

‘Cotam Unité’ is the official call sign of French President Francois Hollande’s personal aircraft that the Chandigarh Air Force Station would be playing host to during his brief visit to the city tomorrow.Special arrangements have been made by the local Air Force authorities for handling the Airbus as this type of aircraft is neither in the IAF’s inventory nor used by scheduled commercial airlines operating out of Chandigarh.Portable passenger step ladder and other ground-handling equipment compatible with the Airbus 330 have been positioned here. “The station has the required capacity to handle the Airbus-330,” a senior officer said.The presidential Airbus is operated by the Escadron de transport, d’entrainement et de calibration (Transportation, training and calibration squadron), which is under the direct command of the French Minister of Defence.The aircraft will be parked in the dispersal area in front of the Air Traffic Control, which is generally used for VVIP flights.

About Cotam Unité

• Cotam Unité is the official call sign of French President Francois Hollande’spersonal aircraft
• A specially retrofitted Airbus 330-200, the aircraft is the French version of Air India One, the aircraft used by the Indian President or PM
• Cotam is the acronym for the French Air Force’s Military Air Transport Command

Fog could pose concern

• IAF sources said weather was a concern as fog could reduce visibility. “Chandigarh does not have a category-III instrument landing system for zero visibility operations,” an officer said.

Search for ‘intruders’ near Army camp in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service,Ludhiana, January 23

The Army and the police began a search operation in Dholewal today after residents of Bhagwan Nagar reported the movement of unidentified persons near the Army camp.Sources said a resident of Achaar Wali Gali in Bhagwan Nagar complained of his window grill having been dismantled. He told the police that those who broke the grill were in Army uniform.As the street is near the Army camp, the police and the Army swung into action. The police also procured the CCTV footage from various places in the area. The police said since the footage was not clear, they couldn’t identify the culprits.Paramraj Umranagal, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, said, “On a preliminary investigation, it seems to be a theft bid. But as the street is near the Army camp, we do not want to take any chances and thus, we started a search operation.”Umranangal said two persons in blue jackets were first seen moving in the area around 10 pm and then around 1.30 am.

New Delhi, January 17For the first time in history of the Republic Day celebrations, the iconic BSF camel contingent will not be ambling down the Rajpath here on January 26.Officials said the 90-member Border Security Force camel-mounted troops and band contingent had not been practising during the dress rehearsals of the event in the absence of official directions. “While the contingent is in Delhi since the last few months, it has not been included in the rehearsals as there are no official orders issued in this regard,” they said.The majestic and elegantly dressed four-legged “ship of the desert” belonging to the border guarding force first became a part of the national festival celebration in 1976 after it replaced a similar squad of the Army which had been participating in the Republic Day parade since the first such event in 1950.“The BSF camel contingent has since been the intrinsic part of the parade at the Rajpath on every January 26. There are two teams which take part in the event, the 54-member mounted contingent and the 36-member band,” a senior official involved with the camel squad said. While the first contingent showcases smartly dressed BSF border guards with weapons riding camels, the second follows with bandsmen in beautiful multi-colour dresses on the back of camels playing martial music. Officials said the January 26 parade this time was undergoing a number of changes such as non-inclusion of paramilitary forces such as ITBP, CISF and SSB whereas some new features, including the dogs squad contingent of the Army and a team of French soldiers, had been added to it.“The camel contingent may also not be a part of the Beating the Retreat Ceremony to be held on January 29 where they stand along the ramparts of the North and South blocks on Raisina Hill,” they said. The BSF camel contingent is the inheritor of the heritage of the Bikaner Royal Camel Force, known as “Ganga Risala”, and is based in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.Every year the contingent travels to Delhi in November to participate in the BSF Raising Day event on December 1 and the Republic Day parade after which it retreats to its base. — PTI