JAMMU: Honorary Captain Bana Singh, a Param Vir Chakra winner for his exemplary courage and resilience in capturing a strategic Pakistani post at Siachen, advised on Thursday that India shouldn’t withdraw its troops from the glacier’s unforgiving icy heights.
He faced formidable military challenges on the planet’s highest battlefield as a member of a handpicked assault team assigned to capture Pakistan’s Quaid post – named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah and renamed after Singh since its capture in June 1987.
“It’s tough to survive there but the moral and strength of an Indian soldier keeps him going. Weather adversaries shouldn’t make us think of ever pulling out of Siachen,” he told Hindustan Times over the phone.
He was reacting to a debate over troop withdrawal after the death of 10 soldiers in an avalanche at the 19,600-foot Sonam post last week, an incident that turned the spotlight back on the hardship faced by the men defending the glacier, aware of death lurking at every step.
The buzz turned more acute when 33-year-old Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who survived six days buried under 25 feet of snow, died at an army hospital in New Delhi on Thursday.
But Singh believe Siachen should be protected at any cost.
Road to village of PVC-recipient Capt Bana Singh dilapidated
A pockmarked road leads to Kadyal village of Param Vir Chakra recipient Honorary Captain Bana Singh in the RS Pura sector of Jammu district. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
Tribune News Service
Jammu, February 11
After travelling by road from Jammu city to native village of Param Vir Chakra (PVC) recipient Honorary Captain Bana Singh — Kadyal in the RS Pura sector — one could feel the pain of daily commuters, thanks to a badly pockmarked road.“What could be more ironical than that a dilapidated and pockmarked road leads to the village of living legend Honorary Captain Bana Singh, a man who hogs media attention on special occasions like anniversary of wars and now in the backdrop of Siachen tragedy, said Sukhvir Singh, a resident of Kadyal village.Just 25 km from Jammu, driving on the road is a nightmarish experience.“It appears that the state government has turned a blind eye to these easily accessible villages in the RS Pura sector,” added Sukhvir.Bad road squeezes life out of daily commuters and those who visit to meet PVC recipient Bana Singh, said another villager Satnam Singh.“During rains situation turns worse. We have been demanding better roads, but it seems nobody in the administration is there to redress our grievances,” he added.Though one small stretch of road was recently carpeted, over 6 km of road from Kulian onwards is in a bad shape, said Sukhvir Singh.He regretted that despite having a living legend, who was honoured with PVC for his heroic deed at Siachen in 1987, successive governments in the state didn’t deem it fit to provide even basic amenities to Kadyal and other adjoining villages.“Had he been in Punjab, he would have been a reason for many for providing better civic amenities wherever he lived,” said Sukhvir Singh.He recalled how the Punjab Government had offered him Rs 25,00,000, monthly allowance of Rs 15,000 and a 25-acre plot, if he moved to Punjab.Bana Singh, however, had spurned the offer and preferred to stay at his native village in J&K.