A poster with a warning pasted on a wall at Pathankot Air Force Station. Tribune photo

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, June 9

Security was beefed up today and “shoot at sight” orders issued at the Pathankot air base, spread over 16 square km, on Intelligence inputs.   Several posters have been put up on the boundary wall of the air base, warning that anybody found intruding into the security zone will be shot dead. Sources said the security agencies had received “credible intelligence inputs” that necessitated tightening of the security net. “We have got some inputs and want to follow these up. We cannot take chances. The security at the air base was upped when Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited it on June 4. Ever since, the vigil has not been downgraded; rather, it has been beefed up. The vigil has also been intensified in 20 villages near the Zero Line. A flag march was conducted by the Army, BSF and police to instil confidence among the people. We are also keeping an eye on the Gujjars (shepherds) living near the border as their links with terrorists cannot be ruled out,” said an officer.SSP Rakesh Kaushal said the flag march was a routine affair. “I requested the Army and the BSF to help us sanitise the area. Fifteen vehicles were pressed into service and these covered 20 ‘most sensitive’ villages. The operation was handled by SP (Operations) HP Sharma, who has been posted at the Narot Jaimal Singh police station for day-to-day surveillance along the border. His job is to coordinate with the BSF, Army, Intelligence and the J&K Police,” he said.“Under normal circumstances,” an Army officer said, “whenever any suspicious person tries to enter the premises, he is challenged  before being fired at. Now, the intruders will not be challenged. They will be shot dead.”  On January 2, terrorists  entered the air base and shot dead seven security personnel before NSG sharpshooters gunned them down.

Army Chief Dalbir Suhag presents a momento to Chief Minister Manohar Lal during an ex-servicemen rally at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district on Friday. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), June 3

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced to fill 3,000 posts in the Police Department under the ex-servicemen’s category, besides setting up the state’s third Sainik School in Jhajjar’s Matanhel village.Khattar was addressing an ex-servicemen’s rally after the foundation stone-laying and bhoomi pujan ceremony of a residential colony over five acres for serving and retired army personnel at HUDA Sector 7 in Bahadurgarh. Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, Army Chief Dalbir Suhag and Lt-Gen KJ Singh were also present.“The welfare of serving soldiers and ex-servicemen is among the highest priorities of the state government. As many as 3,000 ex-servicemen will be given jobs in the police while the process to fill 1,000 posts under the ex-servicemen category is already going on,” said the CM, adding that classes in Matanhel’s Sainik School would begin next year.Khattar maintained the state government was planning to associate ex-servicemen with government schools with the twin aim of bringing about a qualitative improvement in the education standard and enhancing the strength of students in schools.“There are about 2.82 lakh ex-servicemen in the state and we want to use their experience for the betterment of the educational system,” said the CM.He also announced to give some relaxation in the norms to construct flats in the residential colony “As per rules, 400 flats can be built over the land but we have accorded special relaxation to construct 500 flats ,” Khattar added.The residential colony would be named after Major Rajiv Joon, a recipient of Ashok Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, who laid down his life fighting terrorists in Anantnag in 1994. The CM also honoured Rajiv’s brother, Paramjeet Joon, during the rally.Army plans educational complex in Sonepat Jhajjar: The Army has decided to set up an educational complex in Sonepat district to provide quality education to wards of serving and retired defence personnel. The complex would have law, management, IT and technical institutes along with hostels and these institutes would be affiliated to Delhi University. Army Chief Dalbir Suhag disclosed this while interacting with ex-servicemen in Bahadurgarh here on Friday. General Suhag informed he had talked to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the plan who not only approved it in principal but also assured to provide adequate land for the purpose. A degree college would also opened in the centre, said the Army Chief. About the one rank, one pension scheme, the Army Chief said war widows would now be able to get their full arrears under the scheme in one instalment while the proposal to pay the arrears to ex-servicemen over 80 years of age in one or two instalments was also being considered. Other ex-servicemen would be paid their arrears in four equal instalments.— TNS

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 1

While 16 Army men lost their lives in an inferno in country’s biggest ammunition depot at Pulgaon in Maharashtra on Tuesday, similar depots in Jammu and Kashmir, by and large, lack sufficient safety measures.“One-third of the 1.3-million Army is in J&K and we share our borders with Pakistan and China. Therefore, we have ammunition depots with every Army formation in the state. There are five main ammunition depots — at Jandrah (that replenished supplies during Kargil War), Srinagar, Leh, Udhampur and Nagrota,” said defence sources.However, it also remains a fact that 80 per cent of ammunition is kept in open under sheds and at times rising mercury can lead to ammunition bursting on its own, they added.The sources added that lack of sufficient safety measures does pose a serious threat to all including people living in villages close to such depots.Fire incidents in ammunition stores have been reported in the state earlier. Khundroo’s 21 Field Ordnance Depot fire in 2007 still remains fresh in the minds of many. An Army officer was among 15 persons killed in the incident.“While every kind of ammunition including anti-personnel mine, anti-tank mine, mortar, missile has a shelf-life and a temperature limit, dedicated teams of ammunition technicians, security officers, administrative officials and a good number of civilian employees remain at work in various field ammunition depots but we still lack sufficient safety measures,” they added.They said that though refrigeration facilities exist in some of the ammunition depots in the state, majority of the ammunition is kept under sheds in the open.“In some depots we do have refrigeration facilities but they are not up to the mark,” they added.The sources said that by compromising on safety measures, civilians in vicinity of such depots were being put to risk.In March, this year people of six villages in the Nagrota Assembly seat resorted to protest demanding relocation of the 15 Field Ammunition Depot at Jandrah.They had claimed that not only the depot posed a risk to them but the Army was also not allowing them to either go for renovation of their houses or construction of new ones.The villagers from Kanyala, Kahpota, Madeen, Jandrah, Nagola, Ponthel had met Jammu Deputy Commissioner  Simrandeep Singh and apprised him of  the problems being faced by the arbitrary orders which prohibited them from undertaking any repair, construction, modification etc within a radius of one kilometre of the 15 Ammunition Depot.On November 20, 2013, civilian employee Sanjiv Kumar Baru of Kour Jagir area, who had been working as painter in the same ammunition depot died and a trooper was injured, after an 81 mm mortar shell had exploded.

Ammunition kept in open sheds

• There are five main ammunition depots in the state
• 80 per cent of the ammunition is kept in open sheds
• Lack of sufficient safety measures pose a serious threat to people living in villages close to such depots

In this photograph taken early May 31, 2016, fire burns at an Indian Army ammunition facility in Pulgaon, some 100 km southwest of Nagpur. AFP photo

Pulgaon, June 1

Two more bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the site of the fire mishap at central ammunition depot at Pulgaon in Wardha district, taking the death toll to 18.Three people were missing since Tuesday. Two bodies have been recovered and one person is still missing, sources told PTI.The bodies recovered on Wednesday were yet to be identified, they said.

A massive fire broke out on Tuesday at one of Asia’s biggest ammunition depot in Maharashtra’s Pulgaon that houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country.The fire occurred in the wee hours at one of the sheds that housed “highly sensitive ammunition” in the high-security central ammunition depot (CAD), spread over 7,000 acres.“However, in efforts to douse the fire, two officers and 14 personnel (one Army jawan and 13 civilian fire fighting staff) lost their lives and two officers and 15 personnel (nine Army jawans and six civilian firefighting staff) were injured,” Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had said.Loud explosions were heard one after the other as the raging fire lit up the night sky.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the Army has instituted an inquiry into the incident, Singh had said.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said there was no sabotage involved in the fire at the ammunition depot but the exact cause would be known only after inquiry.Parrikar, along with Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, had visited CAD, Pulgaon and met the injured people in a local hospital. PTI

Islamabad, June 1

President Mamnoon Hussain today accused India of “running away” from talks despite Pakistan’s offer of joint-probe in the Pathankot terror attack, even as he raked up the Kashmir issue, calling it an “unfinished agenda of partition” and the main cause of regional tension.Addressing the joint session of the parliament, Hussain said: “Despite Pakistan’s efforts for resumption of talks (with India) and its offer of joint probe in the Pathankot attack, the Foreign Secretary-level talks are still suspended. Pakistan is concerned about it.”“We believe the main cause of tension in the region is the Kashmir issue. It is part of unfinished agenda of partition of the sub-continent. Unless Kashmir issue is settled according to the wishes of people of Kashmir and UN resolutions, the problems of this region cannot be resolved,” he said.He said Pakistan was a peaceful country and wants its foreign policy to be based on friendship and brotherhood with all nations.“We do not wish to be aggressive towards any nation and intend to participate with honesty in national and global affairs,” he said.The President said Pakistan wanted peaceful ties with all neighbours by addressing disputes through talks and accused India of “running away from talks with Pakistan”.He said democracy had been strengthened in the country and it can now resist and absorb different kinds of crises. — PTI

US calls for restraint

• Washington: Voicing concern that India-Pakistan conflict could escalate to include nuclear weapons, the US has asked the two nation to engage in a “sustained” bilateral dialogue and exercise “maximum restraint”. “We are concerned by nuclear and missile developments in S-Asia,” a State Department spokesperson said on recent statement of Dr AQ Khan, father of Pakistan’s N-programme, that Islamabad had the ability to target New Delhi in five minutes

http://dainiksaveratimes.epapr.in/827760/Chandigarh-Main/Chandigarh#page/7/1

In a demonstration of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Indian Navy’s increasing footprint and operational reach, Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kirch under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral S V Bhokare, YSM, NM have arrived at Cam Ranh Bay on a four day visit, as part of deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea and Western Pacific.

During the visit, the IN ships will have professional interaction with the Vietnam People’s Navy towards further enhancing co-operation between the two forces. In addition, calls on senior Government and military authorities, sporting and cultural interactions and sharing of best practices, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two Navies, are also planned. The visiting IN ships are also likely to conduct exercises with the Vietnam People’s Navy, aimed at enhancing interoperability in communication as well as Search and Rescue procedures, post departure from Cam Ranh Bay. INS Satpura is commanded by Captain A N Pramod and INS Kirch is commanded by Commander Sharad Sinsunwal.

Bilateral relations between India and Vietnam are characterised by strong bonds of friendship based on cultural, religious and economic ties dating back to 2nd Century AD. The influence of Indian civilisation speaks of the deep rooted historical linkages between the nations. Indo-Vietnam relations have been strengthened in recent times by a vibrant economic relationship and growing convergence on security issues. India is now among the top ten trading partners of Vietnam. The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative, which has a unique civilisational foundation, has tremendous potential to become a powerful catalyst for socio-economic development in the region.

The Indian Navy has had extensive interactions with Vietnam People’s Navy, particularly in the field of training, repairs, maintenance and logistics support aimed at capacity building. Reciprocal port visits, high-level delegations and training exchanges have bolstered naval cooperation between the two countries. The last visit by an IN ship to Vietnam was in October 2015, when Sahyadri berthed at Da Nang.

    The current visit seeks to enhance maritime cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy. It will further bolster   the strong bonds of friendship between India and Vietnam and contribute to security and stability in this vital part of the world.

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, May 29

An Army man serving in the Mammun Cantonment area allegedly shot himself with his service rifle this morning.Rakesh Kaushal, Senior Superintendent of Police, said the Army authorities had identified the deceased as sepoy Subhash Parsad (31) hailing from Sewan district in Bihar.He was serving in the 68 Engineering Division and was presently deputed as a sentry in the cantonment area. The SSP said after hearing the gunshots some of his colleagues rushed to the spot where they found the jawan lying in a pool of blood. “His parents have been informed and the body has been sent for a post-mortem. A case has been registered at Mammun Cantt police station,” he added.

A committee of retired bureaucrats set up to help the government draft new education policy has suggested an IAS-like all-India examination for appointing teachers. The existing NET (National Eligibility Test) already serves the purpose. It sets a national benchmark for quality and there is scope for improvement, if required. Bureaucrats learn to say “yes sir”, students need encouragement to question received wisdom. Autonomy and ability of regional institutions to select teachers should be respected. The suggestions for greater regulation and having a quality audit merit consideration but the HRD Ministry may use regulation to push its saffron agenda.  While respecting the functional freedom of private schools, colleges and universities, certain regulatory measures can be mutually agreed upon with a credible dispute resolving authority in place. The committee, headed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian, has stressed the recall of the no-fail policy. It has reiterated what 15 states and many concerned citizens have already demanded. What needs to be done is to extend the State’s role from being a mere education provider to a facilitator. Giving needy students vouchers and a choice to choose their school is better than funding schools that don’t function. Technology can be used to spread quality education far and wide. The committee pleads for throwing the doors open to foreign universities. This should have been done two decades ago. Today online courses are available from reputed universities, even from Harvard, Stanford and MIT, enabling students to “sign up, view lectures and submit homework from anywhere in the world”, as Nandan Nilekani puts it. Good quality, videotaped lectures are also available for school students. There is “EkStep”, which offers the basic concepts of literacy and numeracy for children. Salman Khan’s Academy is an alternative model for school-level education. Teachers in this system do not teach but act as mentors and sort out students’ problems in understanding, if any. Nandan Nilekani has argued that it is possible to use technology to “teach the next generation” at an affordable cost. The Central and state governments need to change their set ideas and attitudes before changing education.