Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 23

A total of 81 illegal structures that have come up within the restricted 100 metres around the Air Force station here after the deadline of March 3, 2011, would be razed without any compensation within two weeks.

Using powers of collector under the Works of Defence Act, 1903, Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan issued the orders in this regard today.

Confirming the development, Dayalan said earlier a total of 98 structures were identified, which had come up in the restricted area after March 9, 2011.

“Of the total 98 owners of these structures, 16 owners were able to adduce evidence that their structures were existing prior to the set deadline of March 9, 2011, while one owner gave evidence that his property was not situated in the restricted area of 100 metres around the Air Force station. So now, all 81 structures are raised in contravention of the law, therefore, they are liable to be demolished since their action of raising the same was illegal. I have issued orders to demolish these structures within a period of two weeks,” said Dayalan.

Dayalan added that the demolition order had been issued following the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court after giving adequate time to the owners to plead their case, and carrying out proper legal procedure. “No compensation for structures will be given to the owners of these buildings rather they might be liable to pay the cost of demolition. If they want compensation for their plots, they can approach the authorities concerned, who will decide on it,” said Dayalan.

The Government of India Notification of January 23, 2010, had imposed restrictions on use, enjoyment of land in the vicinity of the Air Force station, Chandigarh, situated at Mohali and ordered that such land may be kept free of buildings and other constructions.

“Directions are also issued to the SSP, Mohali, to provide adequate force for ensuring the demolitions peacefully in coming days,” said Dayalan.

GEN Bipin Rawat knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Days before his retirement after a three-year tenure as the Army Chief, he has told us, without naming anybody, who the country’s real leaders are and who aren’t. Speaking at a health summit in the Capital and sounding like a management guru, he stated that leaders led people in the right direction, not in inappropriate directions. It wasn’t hard to guess that he was referring to the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NCR). By apparently taking a stand in favour of the powers that be, the General not only waded into a minefield called politics but also drew flak, undermining the authority and sanctity of his office. Even though the protests across the country have been unmistakably leaderless, the Army Chief claimed that some people were leading crowds to carry out arson and violence — virtually echoing the government’s point of view that Opposition parties were fanning the flames.

The Army’s clarification on Gen Rawat’s remarks was more of a damage-control exercise: ‘He has not referred to any political event, personality. He was addressing future citizens of India who are students… In the Kashmir valley, youths were misguided first by people whom they trusted as leaders.’ Notably, the Army mentioned the K-word, betraying a desperate attempt to overstate the point that Gen Rawat was not referring to the CAA-NRC agitation. This, too, hints at the malaise of politicisation of the armed forces which is best avoided.

The ruling party rode on the poll plank of national security after the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strike to secure a second successive five-year term. During campaigning, the PM himself hinted that the country was safe only in his hands, while UP CM Adityanath had the cheek to dub the Army as ‘Modiji ki sena’. Amid the political grandstanding, the onus is on the defenders of our borders to uphold their glorious tradition of staying apolitical. After all, they have always fought for the nation, not for any party. And it’s here that the forces need true leaders.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 23

About 35 years after it was raised as a specialist anti-terrorist force, the National Security Guard (NSG) remains without a dedicated range for training snipers, a critical component of any special force.

The revelation of inadequate training infrastructure comes in the backdrop of increasing deployment of NSG teams for operations, with the average requisition last year being four times a month.

According to the data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the annual deployment of NSG teams for immediate backup support was 34 in 2016, 33 in 2017 and 47 in 2018. Detachments of the force are also deployed in Kashmir for undertaking anti-terrorist operations alongside the Army and state police.

“Adequate training infrastructure is available with NSG for special training except a dedicated sniper range. Ad hoc arrangements are in place to undertake sniper firing,” the MHA has stated in a report tabled by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs this month.

“A sniper range is proposed in and around Manesar to meet its training requirements,” the report adds.

Given NSG’s mandate of counter-terrorist operations in urban areas, hostage rescue and neutralisation of high-value targets, snipers are a very important element of its strike component.

Snipers are considered force-multiplies and are given a great deal of importance and prominence by special forces the world over. Besides precision shooting, a large part of the sniper’s work involves recce and surveillance and providing feedback to commanders from concealed vantage positions. This requires a very high degree of training and requisite training infrastructure.

Immediate backup support 

• According to the data provided by the MHA, the annual deployment of NSG teams for immediate backup support was 34 in 2016, 33 in 2017 and 47 in 2018
• Snipers are considered force-multiplies and are given a great deal of importance by special forces the world over
• A sniper range is proposed in and around Manesar to meet its training requirements, the MHA report adds

.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

Hundreds of serving and retired Indian Air Force pilots today bid emotional farewell to “Cold war” era fighter jet MiG-27, which India procured from the Soviet Union in 1985.

A formation of MiG-27 flew for the last time in India at Jodhpur this morning. The IAF’s 29 Squadron known as the “Scorpios” flew in a five aircraft “Arrowhead” formation flanked by Sukhoi 30-MKI aircraft as a mark of respect.

India operated about 165 MiG-27 planes and these saw frontline combat during the Kargil war in 1999. Before the Kargil conflict, fighter jets had not been used at such altitudes—15,000 feet or more. The IAF was tasked to bomb the Pakistani army-occupied locations at altitudes ranging between 15,000 and 18,000 feet.

No country and no air force had used any fighter jet to drop armament at such altitudes. It was unique. It meant pilots in MiG-27, MiG-21 and Mirage-2000 jets were flying at 30,000 feet to hit targets that were around 12,000 feet away.iG-27 jets had a unique capability to swing their wings from 16° to 72°, depending on the mission. This allowed the plane to fly at variable speeds.

New Delhi, December 27

A day after Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat made a controversial statement over Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he said on Friday the armed forces are “extremely secular” and the driving ethos is “insaniyat” (Humanity) and “sharafat” (Decency).

He also stressed the armed forces have utmost respect for laws related to human rights and they not only ensure protection of human rights of people of the country, but also of its adversaries.

He was addressing interns and senior officers of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on “Preserving Human Rights in Times of War and Prisoners of War” at the Manav Adhikar Bhawan here, officials said.

“The Indian armed forces are much disciplined and have the utmost respect for human rights laws and international human rights laws. The Indian armed forces not only ensure protection of human rights of our own people but also of adversaries and deal with Prisoners of War as per the Geneva Conventions,” General Rawat was quoted as saying in a statement.

Rawat asserted, “The driving ethos of the armed forces are ‘insaniyat’ and ‘sharafat’ (humanity and decency) and they are extremely secular.” He said the Army headquarters had created a “human rights cell” in 1993, which is now being upgraded to the level of a directorate. — PTI

New Delhi, December 24

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said performance standards are being set for officers and mechanisms developed for greater prudence in financial management under the Centre’s vision of ‘minimum government and maximum governance’.

He said this in his address at a workshop for integrated finance (IF) advisers, organised by the finance division of the Defence Ministry at the DRDO Bhawan here.

“Under the ‘minimum government, maximum governance’ (vision), government functions are being made more effective and efficient. Performance standards are being set for government officers.

“And in financial management, mechanisms are being adopted for more prudence and accountability,” Singh said.

The minister said finance is the backbone for any family, society, institution or country.

“Defence Accounts deals with one-fourth of the country’s total budget. And, as I said, integrated finance (IF) is considered the backbone of any department or ministry. Any ministry can achieve its objectives only when it can manage budgetary resources without compromising the operational needs,” the minister said.

Singh said that in this direction, the government had also adopted a lot of innovative methods, like increasing focus on the Public Financial Management System, and introduction of Central Public Procurement Portal.

The minister said that in the last three years, the defence ministry had utilised its allocation “very successfully and through substantial delegation of financial powers the trend of non-utilisation of funds has ceased”. PTI