Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh, at Chandimandir. Tribune photo

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 24

While announcing that the Punjab government will set up two high-level committees, one to resolve issues relating to acquisition of land for setting up military facilities in the state and the other to address infrastructural and garbage dumping problems around the Chandigarh Air Force Station, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh also called for a review of provisions governing constructions around sensitive military installations.The committees would comprise officials from both the armed forces as well as the state government and will meet regularly for updates and decisions. This was resolved during the annual Civil-Military Liaison Conference between the Punjab government and Western Command at Chandimandir today.Chaired jointly by the Chief Minister and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh, it was attended by top government and Army officials.Expressing concern that various issues raised by the armed forces earlier have not yet been resolved, the Chief Minister said ammunition depots, for instance, were established many years ago but the manifold growth of Punjab necessitated a re-look in the context of the current situation and review of the provisions for such facilities.The issue came up in the context of non-promulgation of gazette notification with respect to ammunition depots at Dappar and Naraingarh in the state. Failure to issue the notification had made it difficult to stop proliferation of construction activity in the vicinity of the depots, the government was informed.The armed forces have requested notification of the notified zone by publishing a gazette, to which the state government said it would be issued once the discrepancies found in revenue records of the areas were removed.Problems relating to exchange of land between the Army and civil authorities for infrastructural projects, development of access roads and railways crossings at strategic places, bird menace arising out of dumping of garbage around airfields, illegal mining and storage around vital installations were also discussed.The committee to look into the Chandigarh airfield problems would be headed by the Secretary, Civil Aviation, and include representatives of the airport management.One of the key demands of the military for the acquisition of 5 kanal and 13 marla land to strength security around the Air Force Station, Barnala, had been pending due to delay in the release of funds to the PWD to pay compensation for construction of a new road after acquisition. The acquisition of land for passage between the Chandigarh airbase and Air Force High Grounds is also under consideration.The Chief Minister also agreed to extend the notification of land near Faridkot, used for training and manoeuvres, up to 2030 and would also look into the issue of exchange of camping ground land to enable the armed forces to carry out training. The Kandi belt and Hoshiarpur area is being considered for this. The issue of damage to the ditch-cum-bundh border defences in Amritsar and Gurdaspur areas due to sand mining also cropped up.

Civil-Military Liaison Conference  

• The committees would comprise officials from both the armed forces as well as the state government and will meet regularly for updates and decisions.
• This was resolved during the annual Civil-Military Liaison Conference between the Punjab government and Western Command at Chandimandir on Wednesday.
• Chaired jointly by the Chief Minister and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh, it was attended by top government and Army officials.