Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5

As construction of strategic roads in border regions continue to face heavy time and cost overruns, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has sought to lease private helicopters for airlifting heavy construction equipment to remote areas for speeding up the pace of work.Delay in developing critical border infrastructure has now come into focus in the light of the ongoing border standoff between Indian and Chinese forces at Doklam on the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and China.“We have projected a requirement of helicopters or sky cranes that can airlift dozers, excavators, vehicles, compressors and other machinery to helipads located at altitudes of up to 15,000 feet so that these can be inducted in areas that are not well connected by road,” sources said. They said about 410 tonnes of euipment is required to be airlifted, both in the northern as well as eastern sectors by December in terrain characterised by thick jungles and snowbound mountains. The Comptroller and Auditor-General as well as Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence have repeatedly commented on the slow pace of road construction in border regions. The Army has also raised the issue with the Central Government as poor road network adversely affects troop movements.

Of 73 roads, just 21 ready

• As per the Comptroller and Auditor-General, of 73 roads planned to be developed along the Indo-China border, only 21 are complete
•  The deadline for construction of roads was 2012, which was revised to 2021. The project was launched in 2005
•  Inadequate funding, red-tapism, labour issues and climatic conditions are among reasons cited for the delay

Photo for representational purpose only.

Beijing, July 5

The Chinese official media on Wednesday stepped up its attack on India with editorials asking Indian troops to move out of Dokalam area in Sikkim sector “with dignity or be kicked out” and describing the situation as “worryingly tense”.

While China’s nationalistic tabloid Global Times said India should be taught a “bitter lesson”, another official newspaper, China Daily, said India should look in the mirror.

The Global Times said in its editorial that India will suffer “greater losses” than in 1962 if it “incites” border clashes with China.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

As the standoff in the Dokalam area continued for the third week, it said India should be taught a “bitter lesson”.

It also claimed that the Chinese public was infuriated by India’s “provocation”.

“We believe the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is powerful enough to expel Indian troops out of Chinese territory. The Indian military can choose to return to its territory with dignity, or be kicked out of the area by Chinese soldiers,” it said.

“We need to give diplomatic and military authorities full power to handle the issue. We call on Chinese society to maintain high-level unity on the issue. The more unified the Chinese people are, the more sufficient conditions the professionals will have to fight against India and safeguard our interests. This time, we must teach New Delhi a bitter lesson,” it said.

The editorial said it “firmly” believes that the face-off in what it calls the Donglang area will end with the Indian troops in “retreat”.

“If New Delhi believes that its military might can be used as leverage in the Donglang area (referred to as Dokalam or Dok La), and it is ready for a two-and-a-half front war, we have to tell India that the Chinese look down on their military power,” it said.

The paper was referring Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat saying that India ‘was ready for a two-and-a-half front war’.

“Jaitley (Defence Minister Arun Jaitley) is right that the India of 2017 is different from that of 1962 – India will suffer greater losses than in 1962 if it incites military conflicts,” it added.

Jaitley on June 30 said India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, hitting out at China for asking the Indian Army to learn from “historical lessons”.

According to the editorial in China Daily, India’s defeat in the 1962 war was perhaps too “humiliating” for some in the Indian military and that is why they are talking “belligerently” this time.

Since the standoff on June 6, when the PLA destroyed bunkers of the Indian Army, claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several pieces warning India against escalating border tensions.

“India should look in the mirror. It was not able to refute the evidence of illegal border-trespassing and coerced its small neighbour Bhutan to shoulder the blame,” the China Daily said.

The Global Times also asserted that China attaches great importance to domestic stability and doesn’t want to be mired in a mess with India.

“But New Delhi would be too naive to think that Beijing would make concessions to its unruly demands,” it said.

“New Delhi’s real purpose is to turn the Donglang area of China into a disputed region and block China’s road construction there,” the editorial said.

“Cold war-obsessed India is suspicious” that China is building the road to cut off the Siliguri Corridor, an area held by Indians as strategically important for India to control its turbulent northeast area. India is taking the risk to betray the historical agreement and wants to force China to “swallow” the result, it said.

The China Daily added that India should respect border agreement and withdraw troops, linking India’s move to stop the Chinese military from building a strategic road in Dokalam  area in June 16 to its concern over China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which includes the US$ 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“India may be trying to make a point. It is reportedly worried that the Chinese road construction may represent a significant change in the status quo with serious security implications for India, according to its foreign ministry.”

Such worries, the paper added, could have been allayed through dialogue and consultation using the mechanisms that are already in place and “which have long helped the two sides maintain peace and tranquillity in the region since their short border war in 1962”.

The editorial said the situation in Dokalam remains “worryingly tense, with a stand-off between soldiers of the two countries still ongoing”.

“That the situation has not flared out of control is thanks to the great restraint exercised by the Chinese troops.

But the tensions resulting from the intrusion will surely grow if there is not a total withdrawal of the Indian troops. “Unlike previous incidents that have occurred along other parts of the 3,500-kilometre border between China and India, the latest incident happened at a section that has long been demarcated by an 1890 historical convention and reaffirmed in documents exchanged between the successive Chinese and Indian governments since then.

Both dailies, however, referred to India’s concerns over the road in Dokalam close to the narrow chicken neck area in the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan border as it could cut off a vital link with India’s north-eastern region.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan trijunction since June 6 after a Chinese Army construction party came to build a road. —PTI

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, June 30

Uncertainty prevails among traders in two cantonments in the state — Ferozepur and Jalandhar — over abolition of octroi after the GST comes into force tomorrow. Octroi is still being levied in the two cantonments even as it was discontinued in others parts of the state more than 10 years ago. Neither the Cantonment Board officials nor local councillors have any idea about the status of octroi post GST.Nand Kishore, president, Beopar Mandal, said the government should immediately clear the air on the matter lest traders, which were already reeling under economic distress, would have to bear the brunt of double taxation.Sources said since the cantonments do not fall under the direct administrative control of the state government, residents here had to shell out more money in lieu of octroi. “We have been losing customers everyday as they preferred to buy commodities from the city where goods were cheaper as octroi was not levied there,” said Ashok Mahavar of Beopar Mandal.As per Section 66(2) of the Cantonments Act, 2006, cantonment boards are empowered to impose any tax, which is in force in any municipality in the state. As octroi was imposed in various municipalities, it was levied in cantonment here also. “However, the subsequent decision of the state to abolish it from municipal areas did not debar the Cantonment Board from levying it within its limits,” said an official.Earlier, the state government had asked Ferozepur and Jalandhar cantonments to stop levying octroi and had offered to compensate them under the Punjab Municipal Fund (Amendment) Act, 2008. “The proposal was forwarded to the MoD for amendment in the bylaws to enter into an agreement with the state government. However, a final decision was not taken,” said an official of the Cantonment Board, Ferozepur.

A leading Chinese daily has cautioned India that it is being used by the United States as a tool to counterbalance China.

“Washington’s pursuit of closer ties with New Delhi is mainly driven by its strategic need to utilize India as a tool to counterbalance China,” said Global Times in an editorial.

“How many practical interests can India gain from it? During Barack Obama’s tenure, in order to woo India, he promised to support India’s bid for a UN Security Council seat, but did not put it to any practical action. Will Trump take substantial steps to facilitate India’s UNSC bid? It’s hard to tell. Will Trump put more pressure on Pakistan for its alleged support of terrorist groups? The answer is very likely to be negative,” it further asked.

The Chinese daily also mocked Indians for feeling proud on the fact that it is being used by the US.

“Being a “key piece in the jigsaw for the US” is nothing to be proud of. Instead, it is more likely a trap that deserves India’s vigilance,” it cautioned.
The editorial was published yesterday just before Modi-Trump meet. Also, the editorial came amid border tension.

As reported yesterday, along the Sikkim border, some Indian and Chinese soldiers had a face to face, a video of which has been all over the news since yesterday and has generated heated media debates in both the countries. Officially though both countries blaming each other’s forces of violating the Line of Actual Control that acts as the default border between the two countries. The two countries fought a war back in 1962.

Concluding, the Chinese daily had a veiled threat for India as well. “New Delhi should avoid being roped into a geopolitical trap. Despite its anxieties over China’s rise, maintaining a stable relationship with China is of more importance to its security and development,” it said.

Ageing ex-servicemen, war widows and the families of patriotic set of Indians sitting at Jantar Mantar— fighting for their izzat— is a sad reflection on the nation as a whole.

Faujis’ morale at stake: Ex-servicemen protest against the anomalies in the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. On June 15 this year, the ex-servicemen completed two years of protest against denial of OROP. — PTI

AFTER the coronation of the Magadh Samrat, Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, gave his king this blunt warning: “The day the soldier has to demand his dues will be a sad day for Magadh for then, on that day, you will have lost all moral sanction to be king!”It is regrettable that defence-related matters in our country have always been a low priority, with the military being kept out of the security loop. The consequences of this foolish policy are evident for all to see. The case of One Rank One Pension (OROP) too has proved no different. The all-powerful IAS lobby continues to have the last laugh and is hell bent on denying OROP to the faujis. If the BJP government loftily claims that OROP has been granted, then why are faujjis still protesting?  The OROP as approved by two Parliaments reads: “Uniform pension will be given to the defence personnel retiring with the same rank and same years of service irrespective of the date of retirement. Any future enhancement or change in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past retirees”. Which means to do away with any gap between the past, present and the future defence pensioners. In the notification dated November 7, 2015, the government has equalised the pension of the past defence pensioners by giving them a one-time raise and has maliciously termed it as OROP. The notification also states that in future the pension will be re -fixed after every five years. The all-powerful bureaucracy arbitrarily altered the approved definition of OROP, thereby literally killing it’s soul.  Re-fixing the pension of the past retirees after every five years makes it One Rank Five Pensions and is a mockery of past Parliamentary assurances. The envisaged concept of parity has been thrown out of the window. Ex-servicemen throughout the country are outraged at this blatant sellout by the government. The relay hunger strike by the retired faujis is still on. June 15, 2017 was the day of collective shame for the country and the countrymen for, on that day, the veterans of the Indian Army, mostly in their twilight years, completed two years of their non-stop peaceful protest sitting on the footpath near Jantar Mantar asking for the promised OROP. On that day, these veterans, unfortunately considered a spent force by almost all Indians, weathered the vagaries of all seasons of the year twice over. The morale factor: These days the situation in the Kashmir Valley is tense as never before and the jawan guarding the LoC under utmost constraints is also under immense pressure but is still prepared to even sacrifice his life to defend the motherland. Though he is routinely assured by the government that, even after his retirement his dignity and honour will be respected, but the assurances do not seem to convince him when he sees his father or uncle or even grandfather sitting on the footpath near Jantar Mantar like beggars asking for the promised OROP. This state of affairs is bound to adversely affect his morale. It is mainly the wards of the former jawans and present-day kisans who constitute bulk of our Army. Surely, not a single politician or a bureaucrat or any other elite has his ward in defence forces. Today many children of OROP protestors are still staring down the “enemy” in the most inhospitable environs under bone-chilling state of danger, with their backs to the country. They are perhaps wondering as to why OROP recommended by two Parliaments and promised by the Pradhan Sevak himself, is not being granted in it’s accepted form. Ageing ex-servicemen, war widows and the families of this immensely patriotic set of Indians sitting at Jantar Mantar fighting for their izzat is indeed a sad reflection of the nation as a whole. Financial Aspect: As per the estimates of the Ministry of Defence, the implementation of OROP for military retirees will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 8,293 crore annually. Financially, the country is on the upswing, yearly GDP is on the rise, and the economy growing is at almost seven per cent, yet the government cannot afford to allocate Rs 8,300 odd crore annually for the defence pensioners. Will this additional allocation shatter the country’s economy? The Modi government needs to resolve the issue the soonest, but without any bureaucratic involvement, for the good of the nation. Don’t let it become a crises point. If a pragmatic survey is carried out, it will be seen that the bureaucracy has consistently failed the nation — it is the defence forces that have risen to the occasion and retrieved the situation each and every time. Garnering of political mileage from surgical strike like operations must stop. The jawan-friendly BJP finds it more profitable winning elections in the name of jawans. Shouldn’t it win their hearts as well?

• 

Naik Jadhav Sandip from Aurangabad

Jammu, June 22

Two Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) in Poonch sector this afternoon.An armed intruder was also killed, but his body, lying on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), could not be retrieved owing to heavy shelling in the area.Army’s 16 Corps spokesperson said armed BAT intruders targeted an area domination patrol of the Indian Army around 2 pm today, but the bid was foiled.“Pakistan’s BAT personnel were around 600 metres inside Indian territory and 200 metres away from our post when the attack occurred,” the spokesperson said. As soon as the BAT action started, Pakistani posts opened heavy firing to assist the BAT team.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The Army gunned down an intruder while another was injured. However, taking advantage of the cover fire by the Pakistan army, he managed to return to the Pakistan side. Incidentally, the BAT action came at a time when the BSF and Pakistani Rangers were celebrating Baba Chamliyal mela. — TNSJadhav seeks clemency from Pak army chiefNew Delhi: Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer on death row for alleged espionage and subversive activities in Pakistan, has filed a mercy petition to the Pakistan army chief amid the release of his “second confessional video”. If the mercy plea is rejected, Jadhav will be left with the option of appealing to the President. India said the “confessional” video was “an attempt to introduce prejudice” in the proceedings at the ICJ and expected Pakistan to abide by the Hague court order staying Jadhav’s execution. TNSVideo posted by Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, DG ISPR, on his Facebook page

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“Baba Ramdev di Asal Kahani Jatinder Pannu di Jubani”

Army canteens withdraw amla juice supplied by Ramdev’s Patanjali

The amla juice failed to clear a test carried out at West Bengal Public Health Laboratory, Kolkata.

The Canteen Stores Department (CSD), the retailing entity selling consumer goods to the armed forces, has suspended the sale of a batch of Patanjali Ayurveda’s amla juice after it “failed” to clear a laboratory test.

The Haridwar-based ayurveda firm, promoted by yoga guru Ramdev, however, blamed an Uttarakhand government department for the fiasco.

Defence ministry sources said a show cause notice has been served on the company after the juice “failed” the test carried out at West Bengal Public Health Laboratory in Kolkata.

The sources said that as per procedure, the CSD has immediately suspended the sale of the particular batch and sent a show cause notice to the company to examine the deviations and explain them.

They said “further action” will be taken on receipt of reply from the firm.

The CSD had sent samples of ‘Amla Juice’ having index no. 85417 and batch No. GH1502 to the laboratory in Kolkata, they said.

Patanjali in a statement said Uttarakhand’s Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) department had certified the Amla juice in 2009 – one of the top selling products.

It said the amla juice is an ayurvedic medicine and not a food product and it should be taken on advice of qualified practitioners.

“Amla juice is an Ayurvedic proprietary medicine and department should have conducted examination under prescribed (Ayurveda) category and not under food category” an official note of the company said, blaming the AYUSH department.

The state’s Bharatiya Janata Patrty government, which reportedly enjoys a cordial relation with the yoga guru, said if required it will conduct a thorough quality check of all Patanjali products.

AYUSH minister Harak Singh Rawat told HT it was wrong on the part of Patanjali to blame licensing authority for a negative lab report some other agency gave.

“I object raising questions on us. We are licensing authority. Patanjali should have taken care of the quality of the juice. Now, if required, we will conduct quality check (of Patanjali products)” Rawat said.

Established by Ramdev in 2006, with Ayurveda products, the company now has array of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) on its portfolio.

Of late many of its products have also been getting “adverse feedback” from consumers and retailers, prompting the company to form two internal committees earlier this year to address the problem.

The company also faced the ire of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for ‘misbranding.’

“Babaji’s (Ramdev) brand image is associated with the Patanjali products. There is no question of our products being inferior in quality,” SK Tijarawala, the spokesperson of the Patanjali, told the HT recently on quality concerns.

(With inputs from PTI)

Security forces fire teargas shells to disperse Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters in Darjeeling on Saturday. AFP

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, June 17

Darjeeling turned into a war zone for a couple of hours today—sixth day of the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)—with violent clashes between security forces and GJM supporters claiming the lives of at least two agitators.Around 35 security personnel were injured, including an IRB officer seriously.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Army contingents were deployed to control the situation and they staged flag marches in various areas.Home Minister Rajnath Singh telephoned the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and discussed the situation prevailing there.The CM briefed the Home Minister about the steps being taken by the state government to maintain law and order and restore normalcy in the hill district, official sources said.From an undisclosed location, GJM chief Bimal Gurung released a video footage passionately appealing to the people to come out of their homes to protest against police action.Kiran Tamang, India Reserve Battalion (IRB) assistant commandant, was critically injured after being stabbed by miscreants. The CM claimed the police did not fire at GJM supporters.

It’s a conspiracy, says Mamata

• It is a deep-rooted conspiracy. So many bombs and arms cannot be gathered in a day… There is a terrorist brain behind this vandalism. — Mamata Banerjee, WB Chief Minister

Darjeeling turns battle zone as stir gets bloody

HT PHOTOProbationer nurses commissioned as lieutenants capturing the moment during the ceremony at the Western Command Hospital in Chandimandir on Wednesday. 

Security personnel stand guard during a protest by supporters of the GJM in Darjeeling on June 13. AFP

New Delhi/Darjeeling, June 13

The Centre on Tuesday despatched 600 paramilitary personnel to assist the West Bengal Government in restoring normalcy in violence-hit Darjeeling hills which witnessed incidents of stone pelting on the second day of GJM-sponsored indefinite bandh.The Centre also sought a detailed report on the prevailing situation in the hill district from the state government.A Union Home Ministry spokesperson said that as many as 600 paramilitary personnel, including 200 women, were sent to Darjeeling.Around 400 personnel, already stationed in West Bengal, have also been deployed in the hill areas along with additional forces.The Home Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in Darjeeling and was ready to offer all assistance to the state government to restore normalcy there.Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat in Kolkata that the situation in the hill district was ‘peaceful’.She, however, said the Centre did not seek any report on the Darjeeling situation from the state government.As their indefinite shutdown entered its second day today, protesters demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland hurled stones at the police at Chowkbazar area in Darjeeling after they were stopped from enforcing their shutdown in many government offices.Senior police officers were seen leading large police contingents in various parts of the hills.Police pickets and barricades were put up in front of the government and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) offices and various entry and exit points of the hills, while Rapid Action Force (RAF) and a sizable number of women police personnel were also deployed.Shops downed shutters as the violence broke out.The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership, however, accused the police of unprovoked lathi-charge on its procession.“The police resorted to unprovoked lathi-charge on a peaceful rally. The more they use force against us, the more intense will be the struggle for a separate Gorkhaland state,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told PTI.Yesterday too, Gorkhaland supporters vandalised government offices as the GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown forced tourists out of the picturesque hill station due to threat of violence.The GJM, which controls the GTA, has called a shutdown of all state and GTA offices to press its demand for creation of a separate state.Giri said that a meeting of six political parties, including GJM and Gorkha National Liberation Front during the day, decided to strengthen the movement for a seperate Gorkhaland.Their next meeting has been scheduled on June 20 to discuss the future course of action, he said.GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that he was in constant touch with the Centre and was hopeful that its ally the BJP would consider its demand for a separate state “compassionately”.“I am constantly in touch with the central government and various ministers. I am very hopeful that they will understand our pain and struggle and will consider our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.“The government at the Centre is our ally and they will surely consider our demand compassionately,” Gurung said.BJP, he said, has always been in favour of small states.The GJM chief slammed the West Bengal Chief Minister for calling out the Army to control the situation in the hills and advised her to stay away as “the people of Darjeeling are well equipped to take care of themselves”.“My advice to Mamata Banerjee is please stay away from the hills. We don’t need your charity. The people of the hills will not accept TMC’s hegemony,” he said.Gurung said, “Mamata Banerjee is just pursuing opportunist politics.“In December last year she had accused the Army of trying to attempt a military coup. She can do anything for the sake of cheap politics,” he alleged.“We are not like her. We respect the Indian Army. Every year hundreds of youth from the hills join the Indian Army,” he said. — PTI