Azhar Qadri
Tribune News Service
Drass (Kargil), July 25

The desolate highway town of Drass, which made headlines during the 1999 Kargil war and is home to some of the well-known battle sites like Tiger Hill and Tololing, is witnessing small but significant changes of modernity.

For the first time, this frontier town is receiving round-the-clock electricity and mobile Internet services. The road connectivity has improved and a college is also being constructed.

It is a remarkable progress for Drass, which had remained cloaked in isolation due to geographic and climatic limitations. Located at an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet and also distinct for being the second coldest inhabited place on earth, Drass remains cut off from Kashmir valley for around six months every year. The shutdown of the highway for half a year means dormancy as regards economic activity. The war of 1999, however, brought Drass on the map of tourism. The hills surrounding the town, which were battlefields during the war, are now attracting tourists and veterans.

As the 20th anniversary of the war is being celebrated by the Army, which is holding all main events in Drass, the town is bustling with activity and its hotels are fully packed.

“Lots of tourists now stop at Drass and visit the places,” a motel owner said in Drass. “There is a huge potential for this place, but it needs proper connectivity,” he said.

It all can change once the Zojilla tunnel, which will be a major construction marvel that will ease the travel between Kashmir valley and Drass town, is completed.

The highway town also receives war veterans. Major DP Singh (retd), Kargil war veteran famously known as Indian Blade Runner who has run marathons despite being an amputee, is on a visit to Drass to mark the war’s anniversary. He visited the Kargil war memorial, which has become a must stopover for tourists on way to Leh and for veterans who pay their homage.

“The flag flutters so beautifully not just because the wind blows, but also because someone secured the area to let this happen by sacrificing their lives,” the former officer wrote on Twitter yesterday

Government has already given in-principle approval

Tribune News Service

Drass (Kargil), July 24

The 20th anniversary commemoration of the Kargil war victory that will continue for three days began in the highway town of Drass on Wednesday with the Army hosting a series of events.

The celebratory events to mark the 1999 Kargil win kicked off in the Drass sector — the ground zero of fighting two decades ago and also the home to some of the famous battles of the war.

The events on the first day included a training demonstration at Kargil Battle School, display of artillery equipment and showcasing of sports and cultural events.

The Army is hosting more events over the next two days to mark the victory. Several events are also scheduled at the Kargil War Memorial, built outside Drass town to celebrate the win in the war when the Pakistan army and irregulars were evicted from the hills overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway.

The 20th anniversary is being commemorated on a large scale. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the war memorial last week and paid homage to the fallen soldiers.

In the run up to the celebrations, the Army had organised commemorative treks, by the battalions which fought in the war, to the mountain tops in several parts of Kargil district.

In the past weeks, a commemorative trek was undertaken by 1/11 Gorkha Rifles to Khalubar in Batalik Sector at 17,000 feet to celebrate the battalion’s triumph in the war.

Another commemorative trek was undertaken to the symbolic Tiger Hill by 18 Grenadiers. Treks were also undertaken by 13 JAKRIF to Point 4875 and by 2 Raj Rif to Tololing Top.

The Tribunal was set up in 2009 according to provisions of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, to adjudicate cases pertaining to commissioning, appointments, enrolment, and service conditions of military personnel. File photo

New Delhi, July 21

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) meant to provide justice to the aggrieved forces personnel is severely affected due to non-functional benches. The pending cases in the AFT, set up only 10 years ago as dedicated courts in the three services, have spiralled to 16,000.

With only three of the 11 Benches functional, it is a long wait for justice for the litigants. The Benches located in Chandigarh and Srinagar are the only ones functional apart from the Principal Bench in Delhi, which is headed by the Tribunal’s Chairperson. The Principal Bench alone has around 4,500 pending cases with most litigants making a beeline to it.

The Tribunal was set up in 2009 according to provisions of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, to adjudicate cases pertaining to commissioning, appointments, enrolment, and service conditions of military personnel.

According to the Act, only a retired judge of a high court below 65 years of age is eligible to be appointed as a judicial member. Each Bench must consist of a judicial member apart from an administrative member.

Sources in the Defence Ministry, under which the Tribunal functions, said eight names—four for the post of judicial members and four for administrative members—have been shortlisted. These appointments are likely to be made in August following final clearance.

The last judicial member to be appointed to the Tribunal was in the year 2017. Justice Sunita Gupta who had retired as a judge from Delhi High Court had been appointed as judicial member to the principal bench in Delhi.

In September 2016, the Armed Forces Tribunal Bar Association had filed a complaint with then chief justice of India demanding immediate appointment of judicial members for swift disposal of cases. The Supreme Court had taken cognisance of the case and admitted it as a Public Interest Litigation.

However, the apex court is yet to deliver a final verdict in the case. The last time hearing was ever conducted in the matter was more than a year ago on February 23, 2018.

“The Tribunal lacks contempt powers. It has no power to ensure that its judgements are effectively executed. The Tribunal should be provided with the power of judicial review in order to give it more teeth. This issue has also been raised in the PIL,” said Bar Association President AK Trivedi.

The other Benches of the Tribunal are located in Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Jaipur and Jabalpur. — IANS

Survey Of Burning Issues Faced By Military Families; 3Rd Quarter

This Quarterly Survey is an initiative of Fauji Reporter to map problems and issues concerning ex-servicemen and their families ( PLEASE NOTE THIS SURVEY IS NOT FOR SERVING PERSONALS)

Objective of survey is to collect inputs from all stake holders and feed these to decisions makers for good governance.

Survey Results will be shared with Cabinet Committee on Security through Cabinet Sectt. A memorandum will be send accordingly with CC to all stake holders. The idea is to assist govt in bringing building an effective support system for ex-servicemen and their families.

Ex-Servicemen and their family members are requested to participate in this survey actively. Please also share the survey link with other ex-servicemen and their family members.

It is a multiple choice survey. You can vote on all or key issues which you feel deserve attention.

In case, you feel any issue has been missed, Please add same and vote.

It is an open survey. Civilians may also vote to endorse their support.

YOU CAN REVOTE IF YOU WISH TO CHANGE YOUR MIND

Please do not add an objectionable, political and illegal issue. Same will be deleted.

You may also use comments to record your any other opinion

The state government has sought the Army’s assistance as six persons have been killed and more than 400,000 in 740 villages marooned due to  the flooding.

A bridge connecting nearby villages at Taipu village, 25 km from Siliguri, washed away in floods, which have affected nearly 8.7 lakh persons across 21 districts in Assam. — AFP

On the sidelines of the Indo-French joint Air Exercise Garuda-VI, Indian Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria warned enemies, including Pakistan of deadly combination of Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale MMRCA fighter jets. Speaking to ANI, Bhadauria said in case Pakistan dares a February 27-type attack on India, the neighbouring country will suffer bigger losses than ever.

“Once the Su-30MKI and the Rafale start operating together, it will be a potent combination against our adversaries, be it Pakistan or anybody else. It will be a potent capability. Any adversary would be worried about such a combination,” said Bhadauria during the Garuda exercise.

The exercise, scheduled to take place from July to July 12, 2019, see the most potent fighter aircraft of the two countries going head-to-head to validate the latest defence strategies and fine-tune their waging capabilities.

While the Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent comprises of 120 air-warriors and four Sukhoi Su-30MKI along with an IL-78 flight refuelling aircraft, French Air Force units will comprise the likes of Rafale, Alpha Jet, Mirage 2000, C135, E3F, C130, and Casa.

“For any such (February 27-type) operation by Pakistan, they would have losses much more. We would have larger weapons and we would have better weapons. The attrition that we will inflict would be very very high,” Vice Chief added.

The Dassault-made French fighter jet Rafale, which is set to join the IAF’s fleet by September performed a joint friendly exercise with Soviet made IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI, India’s most advanced jets as of now.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Rafale could have inflicted more damage on the terror camps had Rafale been in the force. In March, he took on the opposition over the issue of air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan, saying that the entire country is feeling the absence of Rafale fighter jet aircraft.

Speaking at a media event, PM Modi said, “The country is feeling the absence of Rafale. The entire country is saying in one voice today, what all could have happened if we had Rafale. The country has suffered a lot due to selfish interests earlier and now politics over Rafale.”

Two new CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopters joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday. India has bought 15 Chinook and 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters from the United States of America’s defence and aviation major Boeing. India is also purchasing six AH-64 Apaches for the Army.

The first four CH-47F (I) Chinooks had landed at Gujarat’s Mundra airport on February 10, 2019. IAF will receive a massive boost in its strategic airlift capability with the advanced multi-mission Chinooks joining its fleet. Chinooks will be based at IAF’s Chandigarh air base to take care of the supply line to Siachen glacier and the Line of Actual Control with China in Ladakh.

After India signed the deal with the US for Chinooks, four IAF helicopter pilots and a similar number of flight engineers sent to Delaware, USA for training by Boeing for operating them. The first Chinook was officially handed over to India on February 2, 2019, during the ‘India-Chinook Transfer Ceremony’ at Boeing’s facility in Philadelphia.

According to Boeing, the CH-47F (I) Chinook will give the IAF “unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions”. “The Chinook has unsurpassed ability to deliver heavy payloads to high altitudes and is eminently suitable for operations in the high Himalayas. The aircraft has been battle-tested in diverse, extreme conditions throughout the world, and has proven capability to operate in the wide range of conditions that typify the Indian subcontinent,” Boeing said after the helicopter was handed over to India early in 2019.

The first flight of the CH-47F (I) Chinook and AH-64E Apache attack helicopter ordered by India took place on July 27, 2018. “We look forward to delivering this phenomenal capability to India,” said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift. “From coastal operations to high-altitude mountainous missions, these aircraft will play vital roles with the Indian armed forces.”