A file photo of accused Manav Malhotra, who is at large.

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 10

Three serving Colonels and the Director of Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, who is the brother of Shimla MP Virender Kashyap, are among several persons who have allegedly been duped by a Panchkula-based real estate broker on the pretext of providing property in a past few years.The accused, Manav Malhotra, owner of Gauransh Associates at the Mansa Devi Complex (MDC), has 19 cheque bounce and cheating cases pending against him in various courts. Of these, nine cases pertain to Panchkula.In all, around Rs 1.5 crore was paid to him “in white”. He took between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 35 lakh from individuals. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected his bail plea on May 24. However, he continues to remain at large.In one such complaint, Col Rohit Kumar (retd) alleged that he was induced by Malhotra into investing an “initial amount” of Rs 10 lakh in a project of Bhumi Infrastructure Corporation Ltd, Panchkula, where he was to be allotted a plot. He paid the amount last year from his hard-earned retirement benefits, but was neither given the plot nor his money back. Though he was given cheques, these bounced.“He is a cheat. He shows property of leading companies to people, takes the initial booking amount from them and then keeps dilly-dallying in the matter. I know of at least nine persons whom he cheated,” said Col Rohit Kumar.Similarly, Shimla MP’s younger brother, Dr Surender Kashyap, was shown dreams of owning a home near Sukhna Lake in the MDC. “I paid him Rs 5 lakh as the booking amount in 2011, but so far I have neither been given the property nor my money back. He is cheating people of their hard-earned money and should be arrested immediately,” said Dr Kashyap. A construction company owner, Ashok Garg, was also cheated of Rs 34 lakh on the pretext of providing him property in the JLPL, Mohali.   Col BS Badwal, who is posted with the Bengal Engineer Group, Roorkee, was shown property in Mullanpur and paid Rs 15.4 lakh for it. He neither got the land nor was his money refunded. Though he was given cheques for Rs 5 lakh, these bounced due to insufficient funds in the account.Similarly, two other Colonels, not wishing to be named and posted in Ambala and Yol in Kangra, were cheated of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively. Retired and serving Army officers have met the Haryana DGP, the Ambala-Panchkula Commissioner and the Panchkula DCP seeking his arrest.Assistant Sub-Inspector Mange Ram of the Economic Offences Wing of the Panchkula police, said, “I am handling one of the cheating cases in which a Colonel is the complainant. Accused Malhotra is absconding. We have raided several places to arrest him.”Chandigarh Tribune called on the mobile of the accused, but it was found switched off. His wife, Neetu Malhotra, a post office agent, said, “He is in Ludhiana and his phone number is not connecting. There is no fault of his as the real estate companies failed to give possession of the said properties. Rest, I do not know much about his business.”What the HC had said“A list of 19 private complaints pending in various courts at Gurgaon, Yamunanagar, Chandigarh and Panchkula has also been furnished wherein the petitioner is facing proceedings under the Negotiable Instruments Act at the instance of various persons. The petitioner, prima facie, appears to have indulged in cheating, not only with the complainant but with other persons, including Ravinder Singh… No extraordinary exceptional circumstances exist to grant concession of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner,” High Court Judge MMS Bedi observed in a May 24 order against Malhotra.

Around Rs 1.5 cr was paid to him

• In all, aroundRs1.5 crore was paid to the real estate broker “in white”. He took betweenRs5 lakh andRs35 lakh from individuals. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected his bail plea on May 24. However, he continues to remain at large.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. PTI file photo

Srinagar, June 6

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sparred in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the issue of setting up of Sainik Colony in the Valley.

Accusing the opposition and some media outlets of raising a “non-issue” that can lead to disruption of peace in the state, Mehbooba lashed out Omar for his tweets but the former Chief Minister hit back, saying it was to make her accountable and he won’t back down from speaking on issues of public interest through the social media.

“My small tweets prick you. Your mood gets spoiled. If I make you accountable by tweeting, I will continue it. I won’t stop and I won’t apologise for it,” Omar said.

The issue of proposed colony for armed forces personnel was raised by Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rasheed. Waving a copy of the newspaper that had carried a report on construction of a Sainik Colony outside Old Airfield, the legislator stormed into the well of the House and sought a statement from the government on the issue.

“Last time the Chief Minister said there was no Sainik Colony being set up in the Valley and now we have this report. What is the truth?” he asked.

An agitated Mehbooba said there was no truth in the story as the photograph published in the newspaper was that of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) quarters being constructed for married serving personnel of the unit.

“I do not know what these newspapers want. Do they want to put the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story.”

“Members of the Opposition bring in these newspapers that I will not name as they want to get publicity. If anyone tries to disrupt peace, they will be dealt with sternly,” Mehbooba said.

Targeting Omar, she said despite having been in the chair earlier, he has been tweeting about the issue.

“Omar Abdullah attended four meetings (of the Sainik Board as CM) and in all four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of the Sainik Colony.

“Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet,” she said about the former chief minister frequently using the social media to put forth his opinions.

Opposition benches protested the Chief Minister’s outburst saying not everything was created by the media.

Responding to Mehbooba’s charge, Omar said he has never denied being part of the meetings for setting up of Sainik Colony but had never “passed any order” like the one he had posted on twitter earlier last month.

The “order” which Omar posted was claimed to be a communication issued under the PDP-BJP government and read that the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir had agreed for allotmet of 173 kanals of land on payment in the old airfield area for the Sainik Colony.

It said that after obtaining commitment from the beneficiaries, the number of aspirants “increased to 1,051, 26 officers, 125 JCOs and 900 of other ranks, requiring a total of 360 kanals of land. Accordingly, a revised proposal has been forwarded to the divisional commisioner of Kashmir and the state home department”.

Omar said: “If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefited”. “I think when the Chief Minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me. My tenure is witness…. If we follow your footsteps, the state will be on fire,” Omar said.

The NC leader said he would continue to raise such issues. — PTI

Dehradun, June 2

The 96th Raising Day of the Army Educational Corps (AEC) was celebrated at the Indian Mililtary Academy (IMA) here today. Lt-Gen SK Saini, Commandant, IMA, conveyed his best wishes to all ranks and their familie.Brig VN Chaturvedi, Head of the Academic Department, IMA-cum-Colonel Commandant, Army Educational Corps, conveyed his best wishes to the AEC personnel and asked all ranks of the corps to rededicate themselves to the cause of education in the Army and surmount the challenges ahead. He said the corps had played a pivotal role in providing the best education to gentlemen cadets.“The AEC has carved a niche for itself in diversified spheres like human resource development, foreign or regional language training, school administration, map craft training, library training, personality development, enhancement of educational qualification of soldiers and English language training for military personnel from friendly foreign countries,” he said. — TNS

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, June 1

The Indian Air Force has made operational its advanced landing ground (ALG) at Mechuka in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Tibet in China, after keeping the ground idle for a long time.The strategic location of Mechuka ALG will make it a launch pad for the IAF operations as well as facilitate the administration in the management of border areas. In future, the ALG will also provide air support in meeting the challenges during natural calamities such as casualty evacuation and humanitarian assistance besides assisting in routine supply of equipment and rations to the troops posted in far flung areas, said Tezpur-based Defence spokesperson Lt-Col Sambit Ghose. The Mechuka ALG had remained abandoned for decades till it was decided in 2013 to reconstruct it and make it fully air operational.

In hindsight, could we have fought the war differently?Three major factors influenced fighting the Kargil War. First, Pakistan had surprised us. Initially even the adversary – whether militants or Pakistan Army Regulars – was not clear. Second, for both political and strategic reasons, security of the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway was critical. Third, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) directed us to vacate the intrusions without crossing the LoC or the international border. Even in the third week of June 1999, the CCS ruled out crossing the LoC. Under these circumstances, I do not think the Indian military could have fought the war differently.During the war you had famously remarked ‘If a war is thrust upon us we will fight with whatever we have’. How deficient in war fighting capabilities were we then? Could we have defeated Pakistan had a full-fledged war with Pakistan erupted?During Kargil, our critical deficiencies were worth Rs 14,800 crore. Except for a small number of tanks, infantry combat vehicles, artillery and air defence guns, all other weapons and equipment were of 1960s-70s vintage. We had raised 30 Rashtriya Rifles battalions but without getting sanction for their weapons and equipment which had to be equipped from Army reserves, some even from regular battalions. The situation in other Services was similar. However, the plus point was that the Pakistani armed forces were in a no better state. Our frontline soldiers were led better and displayed unparalleled dedication. If the war had escalated, we would have got the better of them. Would you have recommended opening another front had you been unable to vacate the intrusions? Definitely. I had stated this publically. The CCS was made aware of it. If circumstances demanded, we were prepared for escalation and open another front after the third week of June 1999. Was there a nuclear threat from Pakistan as Bruce Reidel (President Bill Clinton’s advisor) subsequently claimed?There was a lot of nuclear rhetoric by politicians on both sides. However, on the ground, there were no indications of a Pakistani nuclear threat. What are the lessons from the war? Have we learnt them?Many lessons required a holistic national security review as well as re-thinking on the nature of conflict in the new strategic environment. Some were: 

• There may be remote chances of a full-scale conventional war between two nuclear weapon states. But as long as there are territory-related disputes (we have with China and Pakistan), an adversary can indulge in a proxy war, limited border war, or both.
• Political reluctance in India to adopt a pro-active strategy invariably leads us to reactive military situations. This is compounded when no loss of territory is acceptable to the public and political authority. This cannot be achieved unless we have credible deterrence, intelligence assessments and very effective border surveillance.
• Successful outcome of a border war depends upon our ability to react rapidly.
• A war in current strategic environment requires close political oversight and politico-civil-military interaction. It is essential to keep the military leadership within the security and strategic decision-making loop.
• Credible deterrence and escalation dominance require our armed forces to be regularly modernised.
• Kargil highlighted weakness of India’s higher defence control organisation, inadequacies in intelligence acquisition, assessment and surveillance capabilities, and in border surveillance. Post war half-hearted tinkering done in the higher defence organisation has made no impact. In fact, civil-military relations have further deteriorated.

At the tactical and operational levels, some lessons were:

• All units and formations require a certain minimum period of re-orientation when there is a change in their role and operational environment.
• Assaulting troops must have up-to-date information of the terrain.
• When troops are required to scale heights, and still be fit enough for a ‘hand to hand’ fight, physical fitness gains paramount importance. So, a young profile of officers and men in combat units is vital.
• There is much greater need for artillery as the movement in high altitude mountains is very slow.
• Logistics bases have to be located as far forward as possible with multiple means of transportation.

We have since Siachenised the LoC. Can we afford to? Is it good military tactics?Pakistan had not only destroyed the Lahore Agreement signed only two months earlier, but also all trust and confidence-building measures since the Simla Agreement. Under these circumstances, and when no deterrent and pro-active defence policy is followed by India, the military has no option but to increase density of troops along the LoC. It was later revealed that there was a lack of synergy between the three Services. Why was that? How did it impact our war fighting ability?A joint military strategy is extremely important. In terms of attitude and defence organisations, we have not paid adequate attention to this aspect even now. There were initial hiccups during the Kargil War but after 24 May 1999, there was no synergy problem.Did we capture and return any Pakistani soldiers during or after the war?We captured eight Pakistani regular soldiers – four from 5 Northern Light Infantry, two from 33 Frontier Force, and one each from 19 Frontier Force and 24 Sind battalions. After the war, they were returned to Pakistan. Interestingly, our defence attaché in London was approached for the body of a young Pakistani officer, Captain Taimur Malik of the Special Service Group, attached to the 3 Northern Light Infantry, who had been killed at Point 5770. Taimur’s grandfather, who was living in London wanted his request to be conveyed to me. On receipt of this message, we got young Taimur’s and other bodies exhumed. The bodies were then returned. When the war ended, we handed over 10 bodies of Pakistani soldiers to them in the Dras sector. But the Pakistani army refused to accept bodies of around 200 soldiers recovered in the areas re-captured by us as it would have exposed Pakistan’s perfidy.

Havildar Hangpang Dada

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 27

Havildar Hangpang Dada, a native of Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday succumbed to his injuries sustained in an encounter in Nowgam sector yesterday, but not before etching his name in the Army’s annals of bravery.The 36-year-old led his team in killing three militants in a gunfight close to the Line of Control after the Army foiled an infiltration bid at Tutmar Gali in the Nowgam sector, 120 km north-west of Srinagar, before sustaining fatal injuries.Havildar Dada served in the Army for 19 years and is survived by his wife and two children. Enrolled in the Assam Regiment in 1997, he was posted with 35 Rashtriya Rifles. “He showed courage and bravery. Before succumbing to injuries, he eliminated foreign terrorists,” Maj Gen JS Nain, General Officer Commanding of the Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division, said, adding that the 20-hour operation had been called off with the killing of another militant today.“The operation was conducted in tough conditions at an altitude of 11,000-12,000 feet. It was raining and snowing,” he said. “We recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition, radio sets, winter clothing, food items and mountaineering equipment,” he added.The gunfight erupted on Thursday morning when Armymen observed the movement of a group of militants. The identity of the slain ultras and the group they were affiliated to was yet to be ascertained. Over 40 militants have managed to infiltrate into Kashmir this year so far, higher than the figure of 35 for last year.Army officials said Dada was seriously injured as the militants were perched higher up on the mountains.In a separate gunfight, two militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in north Kashmir’s Kunzer area in Baramulla district today. The gunfight erupted at Kanchipora in Tangmarg, 35 km from Srinagar,.“They were given an offer to surrender, which they refused. They fired at the joint search parties and an encounter ensued in which three militants died,” said a police officer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at a rally to mark the second anniversary of the NDA government at the Centre, in Saharanpur on Thursday. — ANI photo

Saharanpur, May 26

Citing shortage of doctors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced raising the age of retirement of government doctors to 65 years and said the Union Cabinet will give its nod to the decision this week.In a rally to observe the second anniversary of his government, Modi said there is a need for more doctors across the country but it was not possible to fill the gap in two years of his government.The decision will cover all government doctors whether serving under states or the Central dispensation, he said.”There is a shortage of doctors. In government hospitals, their retirement is 60 years in some states, 62 in some others. If adequate number of medical institutes were there, then we would have more doctors and would not feel the shortage. It is difficult to make doctors in two years but poor families cannot be forced to live without doctors.”Therefore from Uttar Pradesh, I want to announce this to my countrymen that this week our government’s Cabinet will take a decision and the retirement age of our doctors, whether in states or government of India, would be made 65 years instead of 60 or 62,” he said.It will allow doctors to serve patients and provide education for a longer period, he said, adding that his government is also working fast to have more medical colleges to have more doctors in the field.Modi’s announcement came after he appealed to doctors to serve poor pregnant women for free on each ninth day of every month, saying it will contribute to his government’s efforts to deal with illness among the poor.If one crore families can give up on LPG subsidy, then Modi said he is sure doctors can serve poor expectant women for 12 days in a year, he said. — PTI 

The Tejas LCA, India’s indigenously developed light combat aircraft, which continues to be under development for the last three decades, is a compromised aircraft and has only 35 per cent indigenous components. The induction schedule has been revised several times from the initial 1995 deadline.

A file photo of the Tejas aircraft performing during the inauguration of the Aero India at Yelhanka air base in Bengaluru. PTI

In Sanskrit, tejas, the name given to India’s indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA), means brilliance. On May 17, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha announced that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would induct its first squadron of Tejas in July, while giving the thumbs up after flying its trainer version. Much as this news may seem to be “brilliant”, the fact is that this hugely delayed aircraft is yet to get its final operational clearance which is currently rescheduled for December this year. Worse, the Tejas Mark-I (Mk-I) is a heavily compromised aircraft with significantly reduced operational capability. Besides, the IAF’s first Tejas squadron will comprise a mere four aircraft, that is one-fourth the normal size of a fighter squadron, which will be only high on symbolism and undoubtedly far from tejas (brilliant).   The LCA’s long journey began over three decades ago in 1983 when the government sanctioned the project followed by the constituting of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in June 1984. In October 1985, the IAF issued its list of requirements needed in the aircraft with a demand for 240 LCAs, including 20 trainers to be inducted by 1994. The LCA was supposed to replace the ageing Soviet-origin MiG-21s, the mainstay of the IAF, which were then scheduled to be phased out in the 1990s.  Incidentally, the LCA was conceived just as the IAF was retiring India’s first indigenously developed fighter — the Hindustan Fighter (HF)-24, also known as Marut. The government then did not consider it worthy to upgrade and develop further variants of the HF-24 which had been conceived in 1955, designed by a reputed German aeronautical engineer (Kurt Tank), first test flown in 1961 and which later saw action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Instead, this aerodynamically well-designed single-seat twin-engine but under-powered ground attack aircraft was retired in 1985. The ADA thus started from scratch.The LCA, as is the case with all major defence research and development projects, is a mind-boggling case study of delays, slippages, compromise and mismanagement (despite some hard work) that continues till date. There are two other disconcerting realities about the Tejas. First, the aircraft is far from indigenous, with only 35 per cent made in India and 65 per cent components sourced from overseas (mostly American and Israeli), making it an import-dependent aircraft. In fact, every major component starting from the engine and flight-control system to armaments is of foreign origin.  Second, the Tejas Mk-I has significant shortfalls, with 53 waivers and concessions. These shortfalls include lower engine thrust, higher weight, limited fuel capacity in the absence of drop tanks, markedly deficient self-protection jammers which limit its electronic warfare capability and the absence of Radar Warning Receivers and Counter Measures Dispensing System to name a few. Neither are there any certified trainer aircraft to train pilots. This has reduced the aircraft’s operational capability and survivability, thereby limiting its operational utilisation. Although these shortcomings are expected to be overcome in the Mk-II version currently scheduled to be completed by December 2018, it could, however, take longer to complete considering the track record. Consider the following: The LCA’s first flight was originally scheduled for 1991, only to be revised to 1996, 1999 and 2000, before being first test flown in January 2001. Similarly, the induction schedule has been revised several times from the initial 1995 to 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and now 2018 (for the Mk-II), by when 35 years would have elapsed. In the meantime, owing to the inordinate delay in the development of the LCA, the government has already spent Rs 20,000 crore for upgrading 125 Soviet-origin MiG-21 Bis and 62 MiG-29 fighters, 61 British-origin Jaguar strike aircraft and the French Mirage-2000 even as the IAF’s squadron strength has fallen from the sanctioned 42 to 33, with all MiG-23, MiG-25 and several MiG-21 squadrons having been retired. There are several reasons behind the delay of the LCA. Apart from a period of post-May 1998 nuclear test sanctions, among the most notable has been India’s inability to develop several key components which has necessitated design changes and purchases from overseas. This includes the failure to develop the Kaveri engine (started in 1989 with unending deadline revision to 1996, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012 and currently unknown along with a cost escalation from the original Rs 383 crore to Rs 2,839 crore as of December 2009). This has necessitated a design modification each in the Mk-I variant for the American General Electric F-404 engine and in Mk-II for the F-414 engine. The ADA was unable to develop the Multi-Mode Radar for tracking multiple targets (original deadline December 1997, with a deal for co-development with Israel finally signed in June 2009), the Flight Control System Actuators (currently American), Radome (British) and the Multi-Functional Display System (Israeli), among several other critical items. The IAF too ended up causing a delay of over seven years because it wanted changes in the armament: the Israeli R 73E close combat missile instead of the R-60; integration of the Israeli Derby and Python-5 beyond visual range missile; addition of the Russian 500 kg M-62 bombs; and a Counter Measures Dispensing System. Some of these features and armaments are yet to be incorporated in the Mk-I.  One hopes that the Tejas will not meet the same fate as that of the import-dependent “indigenous” Arjun tank which was conceived over four decades ago in 1974. Only 124 of the Arjun Mk-I are in service, while the Army still awaits the Mk-II. Clearly, the ADA with its 152 work centres engaged in developing the LCA needs to put in more tejas (brilliance) in developing the Tejas.

dkumar@tribunemail.com