A soldier explains features of a weapon to students at a seminar at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. A Tribune photograph

Amritsar, February 22

Panther Division organised a seminar at Guru Nanak Dev University on various entry schemes to motivate and encourage youth of Punjab to join Army here today.The seminar was attended by a large number of civil officials, faculty members and students. The life of an officer in the Army was highlighted among students, including girls, besides other entry schemes during the seminar.The event commenced with an address by Commander Dograi Brigade, which was followed by a movie “Life less ordinary”, featuring life of an officer and various adventure activities undertaken by the Indian Army. Students were given information about various entry schemes for joining the Army as commissioned officer. A team of officers gave details about complete selection procedure of the Service Selection Board (SSB).Hundreds of students from various colleges attended the seminar. The display of weapons used by the Infantry at the end of the seminar was the main attraction, especially among the younger generation.— TNS

In the last 48 hours, the Indian army is once again in the news. One, for its deployment in Haryana to control the Jat agitation in the state which spiraled out of control, thanks to inept political and administrative handling. And two, losing a young officer, a para-commando officer—who incidentally was a graduate from the Jawaharlal Nehru University—in an on-going operation in Kashmir. It is not clear if the para-military forces—CRPF and BSF—were deployed in Haryana after the police lost control over the situation but what is evident is that increasingly, the Army is being called in to deal with what essentially are law and order situations. The decision to deploy the Army in Haryana at the first indication of trouble instead of using it as the last resort is debatable but given that the agitators were hell bent on destruction of public property and indiscriminate violence, perhaps the decision was unavoidable.

The Army has in the past done whatever job it has been assigned to do and will continue to do so in the future too, its reservations on certain aspects of decision-making notwithstanding but what hurts the men in olive green is the continuing attempts to downgrade the Army’s status and constantly downplay its contribution to the national effort. The award of the 7^th Central Pay Commission (CPC)—thankfully only a recommendation so far not accepted by the government–is a case in point. It seeks to place the Army at par or below the central armed police forces (CAPFs) through granting lower grade pay and lesser allowances. This is harmful to the Army–and the nation in the process–in the long run for several reasons.

Progressive degradation of status of Armed Forces personnel has had alarming adverse impact on self esteem of personnel and hence their operational effectiveness. International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research (IJMSSR) in its issue of 12 Dec 2013 listed the findings of its research stating that only eight per cent of youth surveyed opted to join Armed Forces as against 58 per cent choosing to join other Central government services although Armed Forces Officers cadre constitutes 72 per cent of all Group A and All India Services strength. Though not being spoken formally, the following facts are undeniable if the current trend continues.

• Shortage of officers in Armed Forces will be extremely difficult to be fully mitigated.
• Self Esteem of those joining as officers, is taking a hit quickly after joining. This, despite many in-house measures, is reflected in relatively lower morale and less than desired level of commitment of younger generation officers.
• Owing to large scale unemployment, intake of recruits (as Jawans) has not declined yet, their quality and amenability to discipline and of being shaped into combatants with high degree of commitment and sacrifice, has been declining by the day. So far significant numbers have been responding positively to the quality of leadership by the officer cadre. However, with declining self esteem of officer cadre itself, their collective capacity at stemming the rot and keep jawans motivated, is eroding. Increasing numbers have already begun displaying unwillingness to serve beyond initial period of engagement. This trend is already affecting retention of skilled manpower, adversely.

And this despite the fact that personnel of Armed Forces, on an average, incur Least Lifetime Cost to the Government on account of the following:-

• Largest numbers serve for shortest period and retire early (between ages of 35 yrs to 54 yrs). Hence, draw least per capita government salary.
• During entire career, they serve maximum time in junior ranks and least time in senior ranks hence, draw lower salaries for maximum portion of career.
• Owing to combination of both of above (largest numbers retiring early and in lower ranks), their last pay drawn is much lower than civilian counterparts. Pension, though being 50 per cent of Last Pay Drawn as applicable to all, pension amount of Armed Forces personnel is much lower.

And yet, as an Instrument of last resort, the demands on the armed forces are significantly higher in terms of proficiency, commitment and sense of sacrifice. Armed forces being ‘Instrument of Last Resort’ do not have the luxury of ‘failing’ or handing over adverse situation to any other government agency. This singular fact demands of its personnel much higher degrees of commitment, leadership, risk taking, proficiency in multiple technological and tactical skills and willingness to sacrifice.

It is therefore imperative that armed forces should at least be considered ‘First amongst Uniformed Services’. Unfortunately, the 7^th CPC has not considered this and placed Defence Personnel even below the Indian Police Service (IPS) by awarding them two additional increments at 4, 9 & 13 years Service (now at par with IAS) while military personnel continue to get only one increment each at 2, 6 & 13 years Service. Overall, taking pay and allowances cumulatively, the 7^th CPC has further placed Armed Forces either at par or below CAPF.

This faulty award is because of faulty assumptions and inadequate Appreciation of Actual Roles and Required Degree of Proficiency & Risks. For instance, equating of CoBRA unit of CRPF with ‘Special Forces’ and assuming their hardship & risk as more severe than ‘Airborne Forces – Para units,’ reflects gross ignorance of roles, desired proficiency levels & attendant risks of various components of Armed Forces and the CAPF. Consider 7^th CPC recommending ‘Risk & Hardship Allowance’ for National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel when employed in disaster relief. Since Disaster Relief is the only role assigned to the NDRF, how can the organization seek extra allowance over & above their salary for doing their primary and only task? By this logic, ask the armed forces personnel, why shouldn’t the military be awarded special allowance when called out to aid civil authority during disasters which is not its primary task?

It’s time a thorough review is done in the way we as a nation compensate our soldiers. Otherwise, one of our most admired institutions is bound to face decay that will come at the cost of nation’s security.http://www.abplive.in/blog/downgrading-the-military-is-bad-for-nations-health

Army personnel get down from a helicopter at the Police Lines in Rohtak on Saturday. Manoj Dhaka

Ravinder Saini,Tribune News Service,Rohtak, February 20

With the main roads leading to Delhi, Hisar and Jaipur either dug up or blocked by protesters, choppers were used to drop troops at the Police Lines ground early this morning. As three Army helicopters made several rounds to drop the personnel, curious residents rushed to their housetops for a better view. The district authorities had to call more troops in the afternoon in view of the large number of protesters who encircled the city.Though the district authorities imposed a curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders, people were seen roaming around on two-wheelers. Over a dozen autos were found burnt at various places on the city’s main road. Distraught traders and shopkeepers whose business establishments were set on fire last night were seen assessing their loss. The Army and the police staged a flag march from the Police Lines till the Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) campus where a large numbers of protesters were on dharna. The protesters did not budge despite repeated warnings.  BJP to issue show-cause notice to Saini New Delhi: The BJP has decided to issue a show-cause notice to its Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini for speaking against reservation forJats. “The party has taken cognisance of remarks made by Saini and decided to issue him a show-cause notice,” BJP general secretary Anil Jain, who is in charge of Haryana, said. “Saini was asked to refrain from making such statements but he defied the central leadership’s diktat,” Jain said at a press meet jointly addressed by Union Ministers Chaudhary Birender Singh and Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana Minister OP Dhankar. TNSPowergrid puts off recruitment examNew Delhi: The state-owned transmission utility firm Powergrid has deferred screening test for engineers due to the Jat agitation. The test was originally scheduled for Sunday. “Test stands postponed. Fresh dates will be be announced later,” Powergrid said in a statement. Haryana continued to be on the boil on Saturday as the Jat stir unleashed fresh incidents of violence and arson, in which railway stations,  police stations and some buildings were set ablaze even as the Army had to use choppers to reach parts of the blocked Rohtak district. PTICentre keeps tabs; UP, Rajasthan on alertNew Delhi: With Haryana on the boil, the Centre is monitoring developments in the state and has advised UP and Rajasthan Governments to be on alert, as it fears spread of the agitation in other parts too. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs while refuting the allegation of Intelligence failure said, “The ministry is keeping a watch on the development in the troubled state and has assured the local administration all possible help.” UP and Rajasthan Governments have been asked to be on alert, as “they might witness a cascading effect of the stir in Haryana,” they said. TNS

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DECLASSIFIES THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS CONSTITUTED FOR REDUCTION OF LITIGATION, REVIEW OF SERVICE AND PENSION MATTERS AND STRENGTHENING THE INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS OF REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCES
In a step towards greater transparency, the Raksha Mantri has ordered the declassification of the Report of the Committee of Experts constituted for reduction of litigation, review of service and pension matters and strengthening the institutional mechanisms of redressal of grievances. The panel had submitted its Report on 24th November 2015.

Major Navdeep SIngh(Retd)

A helidrop exercise at Pithoragarh as part of the India and Nepal military exercise linked to disaster managment. Tribune photo

Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, February 18

On the 10th day of the India -Nepal military exercise, named ‘Surya Kiran IX’, Army units of both nations today held jungle disaster mitigation and guerrilla war exercises at the Army ground of the local Cantt area.According to a press- note of the Army, the troops taking part in the exercise are also getting training in searching hidden enemy through jungle warfare and in reaching at the war zone by helicopters. “We have also organised friendly volleyball, football and basketball matches between the units of the two nations and a seminar on disaster management,” said Rakesh Manocha, an officer taking part in the exercise.

Indian Army Soldier’s Miraculous Survival After Being Stuck Under Siachen Snow For 6 Days

https://youtu.be/Echp2o2UT0A

http://

Great battles – Indian army in siachen glacier 1 of 3

https://youtu.be/SvtgAM_l54g?list=PLP_tMnHrPtX3uvdg7ZRqFAYkq_oFLT-N6

http://

Great battles – Indian army in siachen glacier 2 of 3

https://youtu.be/zSfHIjW5wNc?list=PLP_tMnHrPtX3uvdg7ZRqFAYkq_oFLT-N6

http://

Great battles – Indian army in siachen glacier 3 of 3

https://youtu.be/tMJxA7czQIs?list=PLP_tMnHrPtX3uvdg7ZRqFAYkq_oFLT-N6

http://

Life Of A Siachen Soldier

https://youtu.be/kaCnhxWPnaQ?list=PLP_tMnHrPtX3uvdg7ZRqFAYkq_oFLT-N6

http://

pakistan army siachen glacier

https://youtu.be/FanThCLK8cI?list=PLP_tMnHrPtX3uvdg7ZRqFAYkq_oFLT-N6

http://

NDTV at Siachen: How India is consolidating its hold on world’s highest battlefield

https://youtu.be/3LeA8eQV4CQ

http://

Guwahati stint ‘harder’ than Siachen:7TH PAY COMMISSION

Ajay Banerjee,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, February 5

Posting in Guwahati is “tougher” than serving on the forbidding Siachen Glacier, if one goes by the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations to the government. The CPC has suggested Rs 31,000 per month for officers and Rs 21,000 per month for jawans as allowance to compensate them for the “hardship” faced at Siachen. However, once the pay commission’s new salary slabs come into place, the tough area allowance (TRA), which is about 33% of the basic salary, in civilian services works out to be in excess of Rs 55,000 for IPS and IAS officers and Rs 30,000 for others posted in areas like Guwahati.Demanding “fair play”, the armed forces in a representation to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar have suggested a new “hardship matrix” to decide allowances. The representation contends that the facts presented before the CPC are erroneous and its 899-page report submitted in November 2015 has inaccuracies while dealing with military salaries, say sources.The armed forces feel Siachen cannot be equal or lower to Guwahati when deciding on the “hardship” factor. On Wednesday, 10 soldiers died after an avalanche struck “Sonam post” at 19,600 feet on Siachen Glacier, burying them alive and wiping out a helipad.A soldier is posted for six months on the glacier with the mission to protect it from the Pakistan army. The induction process involves three months of acclimatisation and a three-week trek to the post with a full load of weapons. Besides the Army, IAF’s 114 Helicopter Unit and Army Aviation are tasked with providing supplies, besides carrying out rescue missions.The armed forces have suggested a “hardship matrix” that grades the hardship on two fronts — nature of job and geographical location.They have suggested that Siachen be placed on the top of the list and those posted should get 65 per cent of their basic pay as “hardship allowance”. This, as per the new salary slabs of the CPC, will be a fair allowance.Antarctica comes second on their list of suggestions, followed by counter-terrorism duties. Fourth on the list are special operations forces in counter-terrorism roles.

Rs 31,000 vs Rs 50,000: Pay panel’s strange logic

• The 7th Central Pay Commission has suggested Rs 31,000 per month in hardship allowance for officers posted at Siachen
• However, IPS and IAS officers posted in areas like Guwahati are set to get Rs 55,000 as tough area allowance
• The armed forces have approached the Ministry of Defence seeking a new ‘hardship matrix’ to decide allowance

he degeneration of Shimla into a concrete jungle is not just old hat. It represents the collective failure of government wings and the capricious builder lobby that has systematically struck at the capital city’s vital organs. There’s a ray of hope, though. The National Green Tribunal-appointed panel is set to submit its report next month. The findings can help the government to redefine the ‘carrying capacity’’ of the city and make it livable.

NO BREATHING SPACE: The haphazard constructions have squeezed up space to such an extent that entering Shimla looks like a toll order. Photo: Amit Kanwar

How many of us would prefer Shimla to other hill destinations in Himachal as tourists? The answer could as well tell you why the ‘Queen of Hills’ has badly lost out to other choices. The arguments against Shimla are as much well-known as the measures thought to have been taken by state governments to stem the rot, an urban concrete jungle that has taken in its stranglehold the once summer capital of the British. Take a look at where the state capital, spread over about 25 sq km, stands: if you are there in your car, you may take hours to find a parking place, if you are looking for accommodation, chances are that of the 275 hotels, you may have to settle for a place from where you can see only rooftops instead of picturesque valleys, and if it is summer, you may also face drinking water shortage. The hill capital is virtually imploding with haphazard constructions. So much so that several houses have trees jutting out of the houses or roofs caving in to cover trees with walls all around. Such trees over a period dry up and later permission is sought to remove them (see picture on the left).So many committees and assessments have been done. Nothing substantial has happened; the municipal corporation doesn’t even have a map clearly showing problem areas. The only ray of hope this time is that the city’s carrying capacity – how much the city infrastructure can take — is now being assessed by an expert group, set up on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The committee drawn from experts from National Disaster Management Authority, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Dehradun, Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, visited the town last month.The panel is expected to submit its report next month, on the basis of which the NGT could take a final and holistic view. “We will decide as per the NGT directives, but we had proposed some relaxation as we plan to increase the area under green belts in the suburbs,” says Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma.Is there any redemption? First parking: Shimla with a population well above 2 lakh has 80,000 registered vehicles, but has a parking provision for a mere 1,000. The work on the multi-storeyed parking lots in Chotta Shimla, Lift and Bypass is underway. The High Court on May 5 last year ordered that no vehicle meant for use in Shimla would be registered in the city unless there is a parking provision. The vehicle owner will have to produce a certificate issued by the Shimla Collector, based on the physical verification by the area SHO. Ever since, some 3,000 vehicles have been registered.”The tourism industry is the main sufferer of the traffic chaos. Tourists who suffer on this account once, do not wish to return ever, making Shimla very unpopular,” says Harnam Kukreja, president, Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association. 

Amorphous growth

The year 2000 was the watershed for the city as 17 green belts (no-construction zones) spread over 414 hectares, were set up. Even though the government notified the green belts, there were no khasra numbers (revenue records) of the area forming part of the green belts, leading to a number of missing links. A lot of ambiguity exists in the physical and revenue records. As a result, there have been several cases where influential persons have got away with approval for construction, including hotels and commercial ventures like apartments in the green areas. The Cabinet nod for special relaxation has not gone down well with several plot owners who, despite buying land before the ban was imposed in 2000, are yet to get permission to raise two-storey need-based structures, solely for personal use. There are about 75 such plot owners.”I don’t think constructing a small house on a plot with buildings on either side will affect the environment. Moreover, we are being made to suffer for no fault of ours as we bought plots before the green belts were carved out in 2000,” says RL Jain, president of the Green Plot Owners Association. “We are law-abiding citizens who have been running from pillar to post for so many years to plead our case. We feel let down and hurt when exceptions are made for a select few,” says a plot owner.

Satellite imagery

The Government took up Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the 17 green belts in January 2014 by engaging the Society for Environment Protection and Sustainable Development. The report mentions a spurt in construction gobbled up vast stretches of lush greenbelts in and around the capital. Backed by satellite imagery, the highlight of the EIA is the comparative study in the 17 green belts and the rest of the town and later in 2013. Clearly visible were the no-construction, regulated areas and other parts where the green area is under a tremendous strain.A drastic change in the land use has taken place over the last decade. The EIA report recommended eco-sensitive zones within the Shimla Planning Area. It meant areas free from human habitation and vehicular traffic. Another important recommendation is to enhance the tree and vegetation cover. The EIA has looked into the seismic, hazard risk and soil analyses and tested the air and water quality and requirement of the town.
Result: No action. Ambition vs intentionSix years ago, the Department of Town and Country Planning prepared the Shimla Development Plan (SDP), which remained buried in the files and could not get the government approval. It recommended that the number of green belts be enhanced from 17 to over 100 by including forests in Tara Devi, Mashobra, Totu and others in the suburbs. Neither did the government give nod to the SDP nor were new areas included to increase the area under green belt. There was a proposal to include forests in Tara Devi, Mashobra, Totu and other suburbs under the green belts. No construction was to be allowed at least 5 metres from a tree. Result: No final decision, though certain areas have been identified and marked. Yet another panelWithout bothering about the EIA of green belts, the state government on May 28, 2014, formed a committee headed by Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma to examine the anomalies in the demarcation of the 17 green belts. The committee with officials of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, TCP, Forest and Revenue departments visited all the 17 green belts within the Shimla Planning Area. The main objective was to verify the physical and revenue boundaries. Their report was to decide granting partial relaxation after redefining the boundaries of the green belts. No action was taken. Result: The real estate lobby prevailed. “Several people who are politically very influential managed to get relaxation for constructing commercial flats and hotels,” says an official on the condition of anonymity.

Court interventions

The NGT in its order passed on September 30, 2015, restrained the state government from lifting the ban on construction in the green belts. “The two studies placed before us show that there should be no construction, not only in the areas covered under the notification of 2000, but even in the nearby areas including open areas. One of the main cited reasons is that Shimla has already gone much beyond its carrying capacity. The adverse environmental and ecological consequences are seen in day-to-day life,” read the NGT order. In another order passed recently, the NGT has asked the district administration to see if the main Cart Road (Circular Road) cane made one way to ease vehicular clogging.  The Himachal High Court on May 5, 2015 observed that a high intensity quake can turn Shimla into a tomb of rubble as it falls in a high seismic Zone IV and V. The court observed that fourteen major localities in Shimla are located at 70-80 degree slope, whereas, most buildings violate byelaws and building norms and have not even adhered to the seismic building norms. “Most buildings are precariously hanging on steep slopes and clinging to one another. A moderate and high intensity tremor can be catastrophic for congested settlements with no escape routes and they are likely to collapse like a pack of cards,” the judgment read. The court restrained the government from bringing about any retention policy to regularize the over 25,000 illegal construction in Shimla and outside.The 17 Green belts in Shimla Tuti-Kandi, Nabha, Phagli, Lal Pani, Bemloe, Himfed, Khalini, Chotta Shimla I and II, Kasumpti, Charlie Villa, Jakhu, Bharari, Shankali, Ruldu Bhatta, Summer Hill, Boileauganj, Chaura Maidan.But there are no revenue records, leading to confusion over the physical and revenue record. Shimla Interim Development Plan (IDP) 1979 The growth of the town facing serious traffic, civic and environmental issues is still based on the 1979 interim development plan (IDP). It was in 2004 the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department prepared City Development Plan which never got the government approval. It has suggestions from stakeholders, architects, planners, environmentalists. Another Plan

• It was in May last year that the Town and Country Planning Department initiated the process for getting the Shimla Development Plan (SDP) of Shimla Planning Area (SDA) to enable it to regulate the haphazard growth. It will have components like satellite townships and decongestion plan with involvement of 15 stakeholder departments. The document will exhibit land use, traffic and transportation system, water supply network and other details.
• Even though the population of the SPA has crossed 2.50 lakh, the development plan will cater to the present and future needs of the population based on 2011 census report.
• The limits of the SPA, which includes Shimla City, Kufri, Shoghi, Ghanahtti and the additional planning area in the suburbs, covers about 22,450 hectares

Green warrior

Had it not been for the petition filed by environmentalist Yogendra Mohan Sengupta before the NGT, the 17 no-construction green belts notified in December 2000 would have been thrown open for construction. “Shimla is a disaster-prone area and even a mild tremor can spell doom. I have met all the authorities concerned urging them to take remedial steps, but nobody has bothered to enforce regulations. I am confident the NGT-appointed high-level committee will help in sorting out the mess,” he said.

Abducted’ SP Salwinder Singh to be questioned by NIA in Delhi on Monday09 Jan 2016 | 1:24 AM

NEW DELHI:

Going deeper into investigations into the Pathankot air base attack, the security agencies are of the view that the local handlers or local contacts of Pakistan-based terrorists and smugglers could be the “sleeper cells” of the dormant “Khalistan” movement that rocked Punjab between 1978 and 1996.Familial and fraternal links of suspected India-based conduits or “handlers” are being scanned by intelligence agencies and the Punjab Police to see if any of them happened to be related with Pakistan-based “pro-Khalistan” persons.Obtaining phone numbers of taxi drivers in India or reaching the IAF base in the dead of the night would not have been possible for terrorists without local help, which could have been arranged by way of threat or lure for quick money. A thriving cross-border drug trade and conduits are also being probed.It was clear that an insider at the IAF base had revealed the exact vulnerable spots inside the 12-m-high fence that ran around the 24-sq km air base at Pathankot. Six terrorists carrying heavy equipment such as mortars and around 50 kg bullets could not have entered the air base without a prior knowledge of the possible entry points and change of sentries’ duties, said a source.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today said Punjab Police SP-level official Salwinder Singh would be questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi.Among the questions that are rankling the investigators are: Did Salwinder Singh know the murdered taxi driver Ikagar Singh? The driver had got a call from Pakistan and moved to a certain location to pick up “passengers”. The terrorists used Ikagar’s mobile phone to make calls to Pakistan, this itself is unusual as not many taxi drivers would subscribe to international dialling facility, which the telecom companies extend only after due diligence.It’s being probed if Ikagar had earlier also picked up such passengers in the middle of the night after calls from Pakistan.Investigators also want to ascertain why the SP was without his personal guard in the dead of the night near the border and why he was travelling in a personal vehicle with a blue beacon atop.The terrorists reportedly left him and took away his car and his friend jeweller Rajesh Verma. Around 2.30 am, the SP called up his seniors to inform them about his abduction. The SP’s car was found at Tajpur village, which is just 1 km away from the base. Who guided the terrorists to Tajpur? Was it Rajesh Verma? These are some other questions that need to be answered.

More areas searched, but in vain

• Pathankot: The police conducted a search operation in Makkoran Pattan area, 20 km from here, after some locals claimed that they had spotted two military uniform-clad ‘militants’ lurking in the area in the morning. As many as 12 labourers are camping in Makkoran Pattan area to engage in manual labour. One of them, Nawab Ali, claimed to have spotted some terrorists. Till the time of filing of this report, the police team could not locate any terrorists as claimed by Nawab Ali.

Terrorists might have sneaked in via tunnels

Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 8

The Border Security Force’s (BSF) stance that the fence on the India-Pakistan border was not breached in the run-up to the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station earlier this week and there still being no clarity on how the terrorists came across have raised the spectre of tunnels being used for infiltration.There have been several known instances of cross-border tunnels being detected by the Army and security forces along the International Border (IB) as well as the Line of Control (LoC).“Though the feasibility of terrorists exploiting riverine gaps along the border is being investigated, the possibility of them using tunnels simply cannot be ruled out,” a source in the security establishment said.“What is most worrisome is that it is virtually impossible to detect such tunnels unless some specific intelligence is available or troops stumble across them by chance,” he said. Ground penetration radars and other sensors are available, but these cannot be used to cover every inch of the border stretch or deployed during regular patrolling.Sources point out that with engineering support from the military establishment boring such tunnels, some of which may be several hundred metres long, is not difficult. Their exit could be concealed inside a shack or a barn like structure near the border or even under dense vegetation or crevice.The use of tunnels is not new, but has been going on for a long time across the entire stretch of the border with Pakistan for smuggling as well as terrorist activities. In 2008, the Jodhpur Police unearthed a tunnel in the Barmer sector that was being used for drug-running.In July 2012, a 400-metre long tunnel dug 20 feet below the ground, complete with ventilation and breathing system, was discovered near Samba, not very far from Pathankot, after a portion of its ceiling collapsed. In August 2014, a 50 metre tunnel was discovered near Pallanwala in the Jammu sector and the same year another tunnel about 150 metre long and 20 feet deep was detected near Pargual in Jammu and Kashmir.Besides historical prevalence, cross-border tunnels have also been in vogue in other parts of the world in the recent past. They have been found in strife-torn Eastern Europe, US-Mexico border, US-Canada border and the Middle East.