Current Events :
Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, May 14
With 800 kms to cover by foot, a young boy sleeps on a suitcase being wheeled by his mother.
The woman drags the bag—with almost double the weight—but doesn’t slow down. She maintains the pace with a small group of people.
The group had apparently started their long journey on foot from Punjab and were heading to Jhansi.
The pictures have left Twitter heartbroken.
Arun Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jammu, May 14
Pakistan signed an accord with China to construct the Diamer-Bhasha dam on the Indus on Wednesday, posing yet another diplomatic and political challenge to the Indian claim over Gilgit-Baltistan that was part of the erstwhile princely state of J&K.
China’s state-run agency China Power and Pakistan army’s commercial wing Frontiers Works Organisation signed this accord, worth Rs 442 billion, on Wednesday, Pakistan media reported.
Diamer Bhasha Dam, billed as the world’s highest concertised dam, will stand at a height of 272m with the capacity to hold 8 mn acre feet of water. It will generate 4,500 mw of power and will affect the strategic interests of Ladakh, the newest UT of India.
In 2010, India had objected to the construction of this dam and succeeded in stalling it.
In early 2000s, Pakistan had taken the matter to World Bank regarding the construction of the Baglihar power project on Chenab river in J&K, which had the capacity of 450 mw, one-tenth capacity of the Bhasha dam.
However, this time China has supported this dam more aggressively, doing away with the need for Pakistan to borrow from other agencies, in reiteration of its all-weather friendship with Pakistan.
The fallout for India is acute, as the area where it is being built, particularly Diamer district, is the territory of J&K that legally belongs to India. Secondly, the dam would have gross storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet (MAF), including 6.4 MAF usable water storage capacity. This will shrink and slow the flow of the river waters in Ladakh. It can create a real water crisis in the UT and down below.
It is a strategically disturbing scenario for India. It would mean more consolidation of Chinese troops’ footprints in Gilgit-Baltistan that run parallel to the highly sensitive and strategically located Ladakh region.
Indian troops were maintaining their “posture” along the border with China while infrastructure development in the frontier areas was on track, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said on Thursday, days after personnel of the two countries were locked in two separate incidents of violent face-offs.
Gen Naravane said the incidents in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim involved aggressive behaviour by Chinese and Indian troops resulting in minor injuries to personnel from both the sides.
The Army Chief said both sides “disengaged” after dialogue and interaction at the local level.
“It is reiterated that both these incidents are neither corelated nor have any connection with other global or local activities,” he told journalists when asked about the face-offs.
“All such incidents are managed by established mechanisms wherein local formations from both sides resolve issues mutually as per established protocols and strategic guidelines given by the Prime Minister after the Wuhan and Mamallapuram summits,” Gen Naravane said.
He said Indian Border troops have always been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas. — PTI
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 15
The Supreme Court today said it was not possible for the courts to stop the movement of migrant workers, many of whom were seen walking back home on foot during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“How can we stop it?” asked a Bench headed by Justice LN Rao. It was for the government to take necessary action in that regard, it added.
Don’t act against firms for wage cut, govt told
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that no coercive action can be taken till next week against private companies not complying with the March 29 notification mandating them to pay full salary/wages to employees/workers during Covid-19 crisis. The top court asked the government to respond to petitions in that regard within a week.
SC open from May 18 to June 19
The apex court declined to entertain a lawyer’s plea for a direction to the Centre to ask all district magistrates to identify stranded migrant workers and provide shelter and food to them before ensuring their free transportation to native places after the Centre said arrangements were being made to send them home safely.
Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava had made the demand in view of mowing down of 16 workers by a train in Aurangabad a few days ago.
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 15
Two men have died in the avalanche in Lugnak La region of north Sikkim.
They were trapped under the snow and were missing. They are Lt Col Robert TA and Sapper/OPEM Sapala Shanmukha Rao.
All other members of the team are safe.
As many as 15 Indian Army personnel were rescued following the avalanche on Thursday.
As per initial reports, a patrol-cum-snow clearance team of 17 soldiers was trapped under the snow.
The Lugnak La is 16,700-foot-high Himalayan pass. In the past one week, this is the third incident in north Sikkim, a high plateau abutting China. Apart from a clash between Indian and Chinese troops recently, six occupants had survived a ‘hard-landing’ by a Dhruv helicopter.
Meanwhile, the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has made operational weather and avalanche forecasting for critical sites in Sikkim, which has been experiencing climatic changes and deviation in snow precipitation.
Panaji, May 15
A letter written by a Navy pilot to his senior, seeking permission to “bite the bullet”, and the latter’s response saying “welcome to hell” have gone viral on social media.
To be sure, it was a marriage invite by Lt Cdr Nishant Singh to Commanding Officer of INAS 300 (naval air squadron) of INS Hansa, the Indian Navy’s air base in Goa.
But Singh decided to be a bit unconventional and the commanding officer decided to match the tone.
The letter, dated May 9, was captioned: “Permission to Bite the Bullet”.
“I regret to be dropping this bomb on you at such a short notice, but as you would agree, I intend to a drop a nuclear one on myself and I realise that just like all the split second decisions we take up in the air in the heat of combat, I cannot afford to allow myself the luxury of time to re-evaluate my decision,” Singh said, disclosing that he was going to marry.
“In view of the above, I officially seek your approval to willingly sacrifice myself in absolute peace time, completely outside the line of duty, and follow up many other brave men into this graveyard spiral of matrimony,” the MiG pilot said.
“I promise to never repeat such a performance in air or teach it to my trainee pilots,” he added, inviting the senior officer to the wedding.
In his handwritten reply in red ink, the commanding officer reminded Singh that “I was your instructor in pre-solo phase, cleared your solo-check, saw your landing for first time on MiGs as ACP made me really proud.”
“Saw the spark in you and always believed you a different. When you become Qfl cleared you for instruction flying on MiGs….But all the good things have to finally come to an end,” the reply said.
“Welcome to Hell!,” the CO signed off.
A senior naval official said it was a private communication between the two.
“Finally, the couple has got married,” he added. PTI
Sandeep Ahlawat@SandyAhlawat89This is how faujies seek permission (PERMISSION TO BITE THE BULLET from their respective Commanding Officers) to get married….
Don’t forget these are “trying” read “Covid 19” times!!!
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 15
Amid an ongoing India-Nepal diplomatic row, Army Chief General MM Naravane on Friday said there had never been an issue about the tri-junction (of India-China-Nepal) and added that Nepal might have raised the issue at ‘someone else’s behest’.
‘No issue about tri-junction’
We have made a road west of the Kali river. Nepal has accepted its territory is to the east of Kali. There has never been an issue about tri-junction… Nepal may have raised the issue at someone else’s behest — Gen MM Naravane, Army Chief
Though he did not name China, the hint was amply clear as Beijing was the only interested party to it. Nepal has been protesting after India opened a road on May 8 till Lipulekh pass in Uttrakahand for connecting India with Kailash Mansarover in Tibet. General Naravane was answering questions after a talk, “Covid and Indian Army: Responses and Beyond”, at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses via video-conferencing.
One being asked why Nepal was protesting on our road across Lipulekh and why it had decided to set up a border post at the spot, the Army Chief said there was no contradiction in Lipulekh. “We have made a road west of the Kali river. Nepal has accepted its territory is to the east of Kali river. There has never been an issue about tri-junction,” he said. Nepal is protesting that Lipulekh pass is not with India.
On a related question whether he saw a link between Lipulekh and recent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh and Sikkim, General Naravane, in a veiled reference to China, said: “Nepal may have raised the issue at someone else’s behest.” He, however, saw no connection between face-offs and any other events. On impending budgetary cuts, he said: “No cuts will be imposed at the cost operational efficiency or readiness…. there will be budgetary constraints, how much we cannot say.”
A fly past by IAF planes and naval helicopters, showering of petals on hospitals, music by army band and naval ships lit up in evening is how defence services will thank corona warriors on Sunday
Since what America thinks today, India must think tomorrow, the press conference on Friday addressed by the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat (when is he getting promoted as Field Marshal?) in the company of the three services chiefs should not have come as a surprise.
US President Donald Trump had announced on April 23 that thunder birds of the US Air Force would streak through the sky across the United States to thank medical professionals fighting the coronavirus. The White House explained that although each flying hour for a squadron would cost $ 60,000 (Washington Post put the cost of flying hour for each F-16 at $20,000) or ₹45 lakhs in Indian Rupees, there would be no extra burden on the taxpayers. It was already budgeted and the planes would be making up for exercises put off by the pandemic.So, when the services chiefs announced in New Delhi on Friday that Indian Air Force planes would fly past on Sunday from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat to salute the ‘corona warriors’, it should have come as no surprise. Flower petals would be showered on select hospitals and army bands will play in almost every district. Indian Navy will light up its ships and naval helicopters will take off to shower petals on select hospitals on Sunday.
It is possible that the expenses were all budgeted and that it would actually boost the morale of the medical professionals, who are bearing the brunt of the deadly virus. But whether the medical professionals are excited or not, the few army and air force officers I spoke to are seething with indignation. “This does nothing to boost our morale; it looks like a political orchestra and defence services are being used as pawns. We look foolish,” said a young serving officer.
While discussing the issue with a few veterans, I drew their attention to what Sunanda K Datta-Ray had written in The Telegraph last month. Pointing out that China had sent 10,000 troops to Hubei province to assist civil authorities fight the coronavirus and the British Army had deployed 20,000 soldiers to assist the National Health Service in UK, he had suggested that it was time for the Indian Army to step in.
“The army can pitch tent and set up camps for stranded labourers. Military trucks and lorries can facilitate their repatriation. Experience of langars would enable kitchens to serve wholesome inexpensive food. The military can even police slums that house 24 per cent of the population to ensure social-distancing and hygiene in general to avoid a second wave,” is what Datta-Ray wrote before concluding by saying, “Swords are not easily beaten into ploughshares. But reports suggest troops are laying aside their guns to help out peacefully also in Israel, France, Mexico and Switzerland.”
I suggested to the veterans that the Army could put up make-shift isolation wards in every district –they have put up a few at Bikaner, Manesar and other places—set up tent cities to quarantine people and even put up special , temporary hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients.
The reaction of the veterans was one of shocked outrage. “While civilians lock themselves up to stay safe, you want our troops to risk their lives? This would demoralize them and we have been saying all along that this is not our job. Don’t involve us in cleaning the mess created by you,” said one.
But soldiers have helped in the past in time of natural calamity? And even now troops in various countries are engaged in helping health workers, I pointed out. This provoked another veteran to tell me bluntly, “If thousands of civilians lie dead and you have nobody to lift the bodies, we will be the first to volunteer. But don’t drag us to do your job.”
All the veterans and the two serving officers I spoke to had harsh and uncomplimentary things to say about the Chief of Defence Services.
The harshest comment was, “General Rawat has reduced the army to a circus”.
Has he?
—
