Scam? No money changed hands, says Gen Prakash:Tribune News Service.
Excerpts from the interview
Karan Thapar: So, on the basis of what you have just told me,
is the use of the term, ‘scam’ inappropriate or even misleading?
General Prakash: Absolutely, because the land doesn’t belong
to the Army, no money has exchanged hands. The land remains
with the original owners. So, where is the scam? I just don’t
understand that.
Karan Thapar: Many people say that at the bottom of this whole
sorry affair there is a rivalry or a bitterness between Lt Gen V K
Singh, the present Army Commander of Eastern Command and
who is going to be the next Army Chief, and yourself ?
General Prakash: This is absolutely wrong. We have been
colleagues as young officers, we had our postings together. There
is no question of any rivalry or any bitterness. Even during my
tenure as military secretary, he is one gentleman who had never
recommended any case to me. I am very clear on that.
New Delhi, February 28.The so-called Sukna land scam, which
has rocked the Army establishment for the past few months and
hogged headlines in the media, is just a lot of hot air, claims the
former Military Secretary to the Army Chief, Lt Gen Avadesh
Prakash (Retd). The General, who retired on February 1, happens
to be one of the officers accused of cosying up to a property
developer in Siliguri and of pressurising the Corp Commander to
withdraw his initial objection on security reasons to construction
work outside the Sukna military station in Darjeeling.
Breaking his silence to Karan Thapar in the CNN-IBN programme
Devil’s Advocate on Sunday evening, the retired General claimed
that the 70 acres in question belonged to the Chumta tea estate
and that developers did not need any permission from the Army.
“The local military authorities have no jurisdiction whatsoever
on the land adjacent to their area,” said General Prakash in reply
to a question.
But asked why in that case the promoter had sought a no-objection
certificate from the Corp Commander at Sukna and why the
Commander had turned down the request at first, General Prakash
replied, “May be… they just wanted to have (good) neighbourly
relations with the military authorities there… that’s all I can say.”
He claimed that the Corp Commander’s initial objections were
related to the promoter’s plans to put up malls and resorts on the
land. But when promoters decided to put up a school instead,
General Prakash told Thapar, the Corp Commander ‘must have
changed his decision’.
General Prakash admitted that he knew the promoter, Dilip
Agarwal, and that he accompanied him to meet Maharaja Gaj
Singh of Jodhpur in Jodhpur to discuss the possibility of securing
the franchise of a school to be set up at Sukna. He also admitted
visiting Sukna in the company of the promoter and visiting the
land for ‘five or 10 minutes’. In hindsight, he agreed, the actions
were possibly errors of judgment and improper. But ‘at that point
of time I thought it was a harmless thing to do’, he confessed.
In another candid confession, the retired General admitted to
have taken up the issue of the school with the Corp Commander
at Sukna. But he defended his decision by saying that as Military
Secretary he would receive ‘recommendations’ from colleagues,
senior officers and even retired senior officers, which he would
then pass on to the appropriate officer for consideration. The
officer then would examine the issue, analyse it and put it up for
direction of competent authority, he pointed out before asking,
“Now if a decision is taken by that competent authority, do you
believe that the person who recommended the case is to be
blamed?”
Significantly, however, the retired officer dismissed reports of a
rivalry between him and Lt Gen V K Singh, Chief of the Eastern
Command, who is slated to take over as the Army Chief on March 31.
In fact, General Prakash handed out a compliment to the future
Army Chief when he singled him out for ‘never recommending any
case’ to him.
General Prakash, who was indicted by a Court of Inquiry in
December, had appealed to the Armed Forces Tribunal which
ordered a retrial and gave General Prakash and other accused
officers a chance to cross-examine witnesses, an opportunity they
were denied during the inquiry.
In the interview telecast on Sunday evening, General Prakash,
however, claimed that Army rules did not allow disciplinary
action once administrative action had already been initiated.
He also felt that the Court of Inquiry was not constituted in
accordance with rules and should have been re-constituted.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Finance Minister looks to empover Antony on defence deals:Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS Retd.
Finance Minister looks to empower Antony on defence
deals.
Saubhadro Chatterji .
New Delhi March 01, 2010, Perturbed at the delays in defence
acquisition that cause the surrender of large sums of money
every year, the finance ministry has mooted a change in policy
that will empower Defence Minister A K Antony to clear defence
projects up to Rs 1,000 crore, bypassing the Cabinet Committee
on Security (CCS).
A note from the finance ministry to this effect is likely to be
sent for Cabinet clearance in a few days.
Currently, the defence minister is allowed by the Cabinet to
clear projects up to Rs 200 crore without having to bring it
to the Cabinet or CCS. For orders up to Rs 500 crore, the
concurrence of the finance ministry is sufficient. Now, the
finance ministry wants to raise the limit to Rs 1,000 crore to
speed up the acquisition process by financially empowering
the defence minister and giving him a larger measure of
autonomy, in consultation with it.
A senior defence ministry official said: “If this proposal is
accepted, it will solve the problem of delays in acquisition
to a large extent.”
Because funds are not used by the defence ministry on time,
the allocations lapse and have to be returned. In the 2009-2010
Budget, the defence ministry returned nearly Rs 7,000 crore
unutilised to the Consolidated Fund of India. In January this
year, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) had a plan to expand its
capabilities but suffered a blow when the defence ministry
cancelled a tender worth around Rs 6,000 crore for procuring
six air-to-air refuelling aircraft, after the finance ministry
objected to the price of the aircraft chosen by the IAF. It took
two years to negotiate the contract.
India needs 200 light, multi-role helicopters for the army and
the air force and several hundred motorised and towed
155-mm 52-calibre artillery guns. Projects to buy 126 medium
multi-role combat aircraft, 8,400 light specialist vehicles,
140 ultra-light 155-mm 39-calibre and tactical communication
system are already in the pipeline.
Government managers say the defence minister should not be
blamed for the delays. “Antony is conscious that he is dealing
with public money. This is a sensitive ministry. And Antony is
trying to keep it corruption-free. You can’t blame him for that,
” said a senior minister of the United Progressive Alliance.
With a spending cap enhanced to Rs 1,000 crore, it will be
harder for the defence ministry to put off spending money.
In January, a high-powered committee constituted to look into
the defence spending had recommended numerous reforms
such as increasing the foreign direct investment limit in the
defence sector to 49 per cent, divestment of defence public
sector units and increasing the defence minister’s financial
powers up to Rs 500 crore to telescope the arms acquisition
process in the ministry.
The Defence Expenditure Review Committee was headed by
former secretary (defence finance) V K Misra and had former
senior officers of all three arms of the armed forces.
Not only had the committee recommended increasing the FDI
limit in the defence sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent but
also called for a case-by-case waiver up to 74-100 per cent. It
had called upon the private sector to take over foreign defence
firms and establish a self-governing wealth fund to facilitate
this activity.
Dear Veterans,
This is a welcome step being taken by the Finance ministry.
Let us see now, what action is taken by the Govt.to disburse
the amount allocated in the last budget for grant of Modified
Parity in Pension to veterans (JCOs and below).
deals.
Saubhadro Chatterji .
New Delhi March 01, 2010, Perturbed at the delays in defence
acquisition that cause the surrender of large sums of money
every year, the finance ministry has mooted a change in policy
that will empower Defence Minister A K Antony to clear defence
projects up to Rs 1,000 crore, bypassing the Cabinet Committee
on Security (CCS).
A note from the finance ministry to this effect is likely to be
sent for Cabinet clearance in a few days.
Currently, the defence minister is allowed by the Cabinet to
clear projects up to Rs 200 crore without having to bring it
to the Cabinet or CCS. For orders up to Rs 500 crore, the
concurrence of the finance ministry is sufficient. Now, the
finance ministry wants to raise the limit to Rs 1,000 crore to
speed up the acquisition process by financially empowering
the defence minister and giving him a larger measure of
autonomy, in consultation with it.
A senior defence ministry official said: “If this proposal is
accepted, it will solve the problem of delays in acquisition
to a large extent.”
Because funds are not used by the defence ministry on time,
the allocations lapse and have to be returned. In the 2009-2010
Budget, the defence ministry returned nearly Rs 7,000 crore
unutilised to the Consolidated Fund of India. In January this
year, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) had a plan to expand its
capabilities but suffered a blow when the defence ministry
cancelled a tender worth around Rs 6,000 crore for procuring
six air-to-air refuelling aircraft, after the finance ministry
objected to the price of the aircraft chosen by the IAF. It took
two years to negotiate the contract.
India needs 200 light, multi-role helicopters for the army and
the air force and several hundred motorised and towed
155-mm 52-calibre artillery guns. Projects to buy 126 medium
multi-role combat aircraft, 8,400 light specialist vehicles,
140 ultra-light 155-mm 39-calibre and tactical communication
system are already in the pipeline.
Government managers say the defence minister should not be
blamed for the delays. “Antony is conscious that he is dealing
with public money. This is a sensitive ministry. And Antony is
trying to keep it corruption-free. You can’t blame him for that,
” said a senior minister of the United Progressive Alliance.
With a spending cap enhanced to Rs 1,000 crore, it will be
harder for the defence ministry to put off spending money.
In January, a high-powered committee constituted to look into
the defence spending had recommended numerous reforms
such as increasing the foreign direct investment limit in the
defence sector to 49 per cent, divestment of defence public
sector units and increasing the defence minister’s financial
powers up to Rs 500 crore to telescope the arms acquisition
process in the ministry.
The Defence Expenditure Review Committee was headed by
former secretary (defence finance) V K Misra and had former
senior officers of all three arms of the armed forces.
Not only had the committee recommended increasing the FDI
limit in the defence sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent but
also called for a case-by-case waiver up to 74-100 per cent. It
had called upon the private sector to take over foreign defence
firms and establish a self-governing wealth fund to facilitate
this activity.
Dear Veterans,
This is a welcome step being taken by the Finance ministry.
Let us see now, what action is taken by the Govt.to disburse
the amount allocated in the last budget for grant of Modified
Parity in Pension to veterans (JCOs and below).
Free Rations for Troops: How MOD was bribed:Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS Retd.
Free Rations for Troops: How MOD was bribed?
Lt Gen Krishnaswami Balaram PVSM (Retd) :A DAUGHTER’S
TRIBUTE.The many stories that are associated with Dad, the
numerous tributes pouring forth from the people who have
known him have made me add my personal very favorite
tribute to him.How did Entitled Rations become Authorized
to the Defence Services?At the time Dad was the Adjutant
General, two of the major issues he handled were- the
Fourth Pay Commission and getting Authorized rations or
Free rations (as it was then called) for the Defence Services.
When the file for the Free rations was ready the General sent
it across to the Ministry for approval and signature. The file
came back with some observations. Duly rectified the General
sent it back. Again the file came back with some fresh
observations. The General made the necessary corrections
and sent it back. When this had occurred a few times the
General got suspicious and sent one of his officers across to
the Ministry to find out exactly what was needed to get the
file through.The officer came back and told him that one of
the officers in the Ministry who was vital for getting the file
signed had a daughter in the Army Medical Corps who was
posted in MH X and he wanted her posted to Delhi. “ Is that
all?” said the General incredulously. Promptly he picked
up the phone and called the DGMS (Army). Giving him the
details of the Lady MO he told him “ issue the posting order
and a copy of the same to be on my table by the afternoon”.
A little later the DGMS (Army) called him back and told him
“ Sir, this lady has been posted to MH X not even three
months back. How can I issue another posting order for
Delhi?”To this the General replied “ To you it is issuing the
posting order of one Lady Medical Officer. To me it is a
question of getting through Free rations for the entire
Defence Forces. Issue the posting order and send me a copy
within this hour.”The posting order was issued. A copy of
the same was with the General within the hour. The file with
the posting order was sent to the Ministry. The file was
processed rapidly. Signed and returned to the General.
Free Rations were then authorized and
issued to the Defence Forces.
Dad often looked at me and with a twinkle in his say “ Lady
Medical Officers………God Bless them!!!!!!!!”
Lt Col (Dr) Radha J Joneja (Retd).
Source:IESM
Lt Gen Krishnaswami Balaram PVSM (Retd) :A DAUGHTER’S
TRIBUTE.The many stories that are associated with Dad, the
numerous tributes pouring forth from the people who have
known him have made me add my personal very favorite
tribute to him.How did Entitled Rations become Authorized
to the Defence Services?At the time Dad was the Adjutant
General, two of the major issues he handled were- the
Fourth Pay Commission and getting Authorized rations or
Free rations (as it was then called) for the Defence Services.
When the file for the Free rations was ready the General sent
it across to the Ministry for approval and signature. The file
came back with some observations. Duly rectified the General
sent it back. Again the file came back with some fresh
observations. The General made the necessary corrections
and sent it back. When this had occurred a few times the
General got suspicious and sent one of his officers across to
the Ministry to find out exactly what was needed to get the
file through.The officer came back and told him that one of
the officers in the Ministry who was vital for getting the file
signed had a daughter in the Army Medical Corps who was
posted in MH X and he wanted her posted to Delhi. “ Is that
all?” said the General incredulously. Promptly he picked
up the phone and called the DGMS (Army). Giving him the
details of the Lady MO he told him “ issue the posting order
and a copy of the same to be on my table by the afternoon”.
A little later the DGMS (Army) called him back and told him
“ Sir, this lady has been posted to MH X not even three
months back. How can I issue another posting order for
Delhi?”To this the General replied “ To you it is issuing the
posting order of one Lady Medical Officer. To me it is a
question of getting through Free rations for the entire
Defence Forces. Issue the posting order and send me a copy
within this hour.”The posting order was issued. A copy of
the same was with the General within the hour. The file with
the posting order was sent to the Ministry. The file was
processed rapidly. Signed and returned to the General.
Free Rations were then authorized and
issued to the Defence Forces.
Dad often looked at me and with a twinkle in his say “ Lady
Medical Officers………God Bless them!!!!!!!!”
Lt Col (Dr) Radha J Joneja (Retd).
Source:IESM
FULL AND CORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF DEVIL'S ADVOCATE WITH LT. GEN. AVADESH PRAKASH - EMBARGOED TILL NOON SUNDAY 28TH :Vet. Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS R
FULL AND CORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
WITH LT. GEN. AVADESH PRAKASH - EMBARGOED TILL
NOON SUNDAY 28TH
(Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, Former VCOAS)
Dear Gen. Oberoi,
I am writing to tell you that on wednesday the 24th our CNN-IBN
programme Devil’s Advocate did an exclusive and extremely
newsworthy interview with the former military secretary, Lt. Gen.
Avadesh Prakash, who, as you know, is at the very centre of the so
called Sukna land scam. This is the first and only interview given
by Lt. Gen. Prakash after maintaining silence for over 3 months.
In addition, he has assured us that he will not give any other
interview or in any other way speak to the press until after this
interview is broadcast by CNN-IBN on sunday night at 8.30 p.m.
The repeats are on monday.
I now enclose the transcript of the interview which is e
mbargoed till noon tomorrow, sunday 28th.
Let me give you the most important points of the interview:-
1. Gen. Prakash says that Court of Inquiry conducted
against him was faulty on many counts. It breached Army
Regulation 518 which determines the membership. It breached
Army Rule 180 which determines how witnesses should be
questioned.
2. The Armed Forces Tribunal has given him partial relief
and although he accepts it, it would have been better for the
Inquiry to be entirely scrapped and re-held with a new presiding
officer and new members. These points are fully explained in
the transcript of the interview. I am only giving you the gist at
this point.
3. Gen. Prakash outlines several reasons why he believes the
Army Chief has not treated him fairly. They are:-
The Chief didn’t apply his mind to Prakash’s reply to the show
cause notice. The Chief barely gave the matter three working
days whereas, earlier, he had spent almost three weeks in
determining how to respond to the Court of Inquiry’s findings.
The Chief was not speaking the full truth when, two weeks earlier
on Devil’s Advocate, he told us that he had ordered disciplinary
action on the basis of Gen. Prakash’s reply to the show cause
notice. Gen. Prakash points out that the letter he received from
the army ordering disciplinary action (dated 29 Jan No.
C/06280/EC/411/AG/DV-2) begins by saying that the show cause
notice is cancelled. Therefore if the notice is cancelled the
reply to the notice cannot be considered. Furthermore at no point
does the letter refer to Prakash’s reply in any shape or form.
In ordering disciplinary action after administrative action had
commenced, Prakash says the Chief is in violation of the well
established and long practiced military policy of 1993. In the
interview Prakash quotes from a letter sent by the Additional
Directorate General (Discipline and Vigilance) of the Adjutant
General’s branch dated 11th May, 1993 no. 32908/AG/DV-1, to
the Head Quarters of all the commands of the army, which
states : “It is clarified that once the competent authority after
having applied his mind to the full facts of the case decides to
initiate administrative action and such action has commenced
… at this stage to revert to disciplinary action is not only
unjustified but also legally unsustainable.”
The communication that disciplinary action would be taken
against him was received by Gen. Prakash at 11 a.m. on the
29th of January, his last working day before retirement. That
also happens to be the date of Beating Retreat. South Block
offices shut down at 1 p.m. thus giving Prakash only two hours
to protest that the disciplinary action was a violation of the
1993 policy. The 30th and 31st were Saturday and Sunday and
therefore holidays. By the 1st Prakash had retired.
4. Prakash explains why the army has no power or
authority to object to the school that was proposed to be built
on the 70 acres of Chumta tea estate which are outside the
military station at Sukna. He explains the critical difference
between a military station and cantonment.
5. Prakash also explains how the Corps Commander at
Sukna first objected to what the developers proposed and
then changed his mind. The reason is that originally they
proposed a shopping mall and resort which the Corps
Commander objected to. When the developers switched to a
school the Corps Commander accepted. Also Prakash points
out that if schools can exist within cantonments in Delhi
then they can easily exist outside a military station at Sukna.
6. Prakash one by one answers the indictments he is
charged with. The details are in the transcript of the
interview I am sending you. But they amount to issues of
impropriety. He does not deny them and, additionally,
accepts that in hindsight they look wrong. At the time,
however, he asserts they were innocent. This is clearly news.
Never before has he accepted that in hindsight they look wrong.
7. Prakash refutes the theory that underlying the Sukna
inquiry is a personality clash or rivalry between him and the
Eastern Army Commander, Lt. Gen. V. K. Singh, who will take
over as Army Chief on 31st March. In fact he has words of
praise for Lt. Gen. V. K. Singh. This too is newsworthy.
8. Finally Gen. Prakash explains why he has not spoken
to the press earlier and why he has chosen to do so now. He
says after the press has called him tainted he feels a need to
defend himself and clear his name.
As I said above, the transcript is enclosed. You will find a
lot of interesting and newsworthy details in the interview
which are not known so far.
With my warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Abhash Kumar.
WITH LT. GEN. AVADESH PRAKASH - EMBARGOED TILL
NOON SUNDAY 28TH
(Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, Former VCOAS)
Dear Gen. Oberoi,
I am writing to tell you that on wednesday the 24th our CNN-IBN
programme Devil’s Advocate did an exclusive and extremely
newsworthy interview with the former military secretary, Lt. Gen.
Avadesh Prakash, who, as you know, is at the very centre of the so
called Sukna land scam. This is the first and only interview given
by Lt. Gen. Prakash after maintaining silence for over 3 months.
In addition, he has assured us that he will not give any other
interview or in any other way speak to the press until after this
interview is broadcast by CNN-IBN on sunday night at 8.30 p.m.
The repeats are on monday.
I now enclose the transcript of the interview which is e
mbargoed till noon tomorrow, sunday 28th.
Let me give you the most important points of the interview:-
1. Gen. Prakash says that Court of Inquiry conducted
against him was faulty on many counts. It breached Army
Regulation 518 which determines the membership. It breached
Army Rule 180 which determines how witnesses should be
questioned.
2. The Armed Forces Tribunal has given him partial relief
and although he accepts it, it would have been better for the
Inquiry to be entirely scrapped and re-held with a new presiding
officer and new members. These points are fully explained in
the transcript of the interview. I am only giving you the gist at
this point.
3. Gen. Prakash outlines several reasons why he believes the
Army Chief has not treated him fairly. They are:-
The Chief didn’t apply his mind to Prakash’s reply to the show
cause notice. The Chief barely gave the matter three working
days whereas, earlier, he had spent almost three weeks in
determining how to respond to the Court of Inquiry’s findings.
The Chief was not speaking the full truth when, two weeks earlier
on Devil’s Advocate, he told us that he had ordered disciplinary
action on the basis of Gen. Prakash’s reply to the show cause
notice. Gen. Prakash points out that the letter he received from
the army ordering disciplinary action (dated 29 Jan No.
C/06280/EC/411/AG/DV-2) begins by saying that the show cause
notice is cancelled. Therefore if the notice is cancelled the
reply to the notice cannot be considered. Furthermore at no point
does the letter refer to Prakash’s reply in any shape or form.
In ordering disciplinary action after administrative action had
commenced, Prakash says the Chief is in violation of the well
established and long practiced military policy of 1993. In the
interview Prakash quotes from a letter sent by the Additional
Directorate General (Discipline and Vigilance) of the Adjutant
General’s branch dated 11th May, 1993 no. 32908/AG/DV-1, to
the Head Quarters of all the commands of the army, which
states : “It is clarified that once the competent authority after
having applied his mind to the full facts of the case decides to
initiate administrative action and such action has commenced
… at this stage to revert to disciplinary action is not only
unjustified but also legally unsustainable.”
The communication that disciplinary action would be taken
against him was received by Gen. Prakash at 11 a.m. on the
29th of January, his last working day before retirement. That
also happens to be the date of Beating Retreat. South Block
offices shut down at 1 p.m. thus giving Prakash only two hours
to protest that the disciplinary action was a violation of the
1993 policy. The 30th and 31st were Saturday and Sunday and
therefore holidays. By the 1st Prakash had retired.
4. Prakash explains why the army has no power or
authority to object to the school that was proposed to be built
on the 70 acres of Chumta tea estate which are outside the
military station at Sukna. He explains the critical difference
between a military station and cantonment.
5. Prakash also explains how the Corps Commander at
Sukna first objected to what the developers proposed and
then changed his mind. The reason is that originally they
proposed a shopping mall and resort which the Corps
Commander objected to. When the developers switched to a
school the Corps Commander accepted. Also Prakash points
out that if schools can exist within cantonments in Delhi
then they can easily exist outside a military station at Sukna.
6. Prakash one by one answers the indictments he is
charged with. The details are in the transcript of the
interview I am sending you. But they amount to issues of
impropriety. He does not deny them and, additionally,
accepts that in hindsight they look wrong. At the time,
however, he asserts they were innocent. This is clearly news.
Never before has he accepted that in hindsight they look wrong.
7. Prakash refutes the theory that underlying the Sukna
inquiry is a personality clash or rivalry between him and the
Eastern Army Commander, Lt. Gen. V. K. Singh, who will take
over as Army Chief on 31st March. In fact he has words of
praise for Lt. Gen. V. K. Singh. This too is newsworthy.
8. Finally Gen. Prakash explains why he has not spoken
to the press earlier and why he has chosen to do so now. He
says after the press has called him tainted he feels a need to
defend himself and clear his name.
As I said above, the transcript is enclosed. You will find a
lot of interesting and newsworthy details in the interview
which are not known so far.
With my warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Abhash Kumar.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
ESM Welfare: Meeting with Pallam Raju :veteran Prabhjot Singh chhatwal PLS Retd.
ESM Welfare: Meeting with Pallam Raju
Under signed leaded a delegation of Ex-servicemen to meet Dr MM Pallam Raju, Hon’ble Minister of State of Defence, on 23 Feb 2010, at his office in Ministry of Defence. The aim of the meeting was to apprise him about the difficulties faced by the residents of Delhi Cantt and also to dicusses various welfare points concerning Ex-servicemen. Points discussed as under:
I reminded the Hon’ble Minister that gazette notification for “One Rank One Pension” in respect PBOR is not yet out. It was mentioned by minister that all normal formalities for gazette notification are complete and it will be announced soon for implementation.
I had also assured the delegation that War Memorial for Delhi state will be constructed to honour those who scarified for the nation from Delhi. He had also agreed to construct a rest house with 100 rooms and dormitory for the ex-servicemen visiting Delhi in connection with medical treatment and various other works.Request and appeal was made to earmark land in Delhi Cantt to house the following under one roof:
DGR office
Conventional Hall/ Auditorium
Rest House for both officers & PBOR
ECHS facilities.
CSD Canteen
Recreation facilities
Opening of 100 bed Hospital in Delhi Cantt. ”
Veteran Maj (Dr) T C Rao Chairman DPCC
Under signed leaded a delegation of Ex-servicemen to meet Dr MM Pallam Raju, Hon’ble Minister of State of Defence, on 23 Feb 2010, at his office in Ministry of Defence. The aim of the meeting was to apprise him about the difficulties faced by the residents of Delhi Cantt and also to dicusses various welfare points concerning Ex-servicemen. Points discussed as under:
I reminded the Hon’ble Minister that gazette notification for “One Rank One Pension” in respect PBOR is not yet out. It was mentioned by minister that all normal formalities for gazette notification are complete and it will be announced soon for implementation.
I had also assured the delegation that War Memorial for Delhi state will be constructed to honour those who scarified for the nation from Delhi. He had also agreed to construct a rest house with 100 rooms and dormitory for the ex-servicemen visiting Delhi in connection with medical treatment and various other works.Request and appeal was made to earmark land in Delhi Cantt to house the following under one roof:
DGR office
Conventional Hall/ Auditorium
Rest House for both officers & PBOR
ECHS facilities.
CSD Canteen
Recreation facilities
Opening of 100 bed Hospital in Delhi Cantt. ”
Veteran Maj (Dr) T C Rao Chairman DPCC
Lt.Gen. Rath withdraws plea:Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS Retd.
Lt Gen Rath withdraws plea
New Delhi, February 25Lt Gen P K Rath, former commander of 33 Corps, today withdrew petition against his court martial in the Sukna land scam from the Armed Forces Tribunal here.
Giving reasons for the move, Rath's counsel Ajit K Singh said his client withdrew the petition as the tribunal had already ordered reconvening of the Court of Inquiry (COI) in the case allowing Lt Gen (retd) Avadesh Prakash, former Military Secretary, to cross examine six witnesses.
“During the COI and cross-examination by Prakash, we will also get the opportunity to present our side. So, we will wait for the outcome of the COI and then take further decision,” he said.
Asked if the reconvening of the COI would delay court martial proceedings against him also, he said: “Nothing can proceed until the COI is over as we are also part of it.”
Rath's petition in the Delhi High Court, in which he had contended that he had been singled out in the case and the “offence” against him had been “prejudged”, was dismissed on jurisdiction issue earlier this month. Thereafter, he had moved to the Principal Bench of the AFT here.
The Eastern Command, headed by Army Chief-designate Lt Gen VK Singh, had initiated the COI against Gen Rath after the Cabinet Committee of Appointments had approved his elevation as Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Rath said in his petition.
Rath, along with Lt Gen Prakash, is facing court martial in the case that relates to no objection certificate being given by the Army to a private realtor to construct an educational institution on a 71-acre plot adjacent to Sukna military base in Darjeeling. — PTI
New Delhi, February 25Lt Gen P K Rath, former commander of 33 Corps, today withdrew petition against his court martial in the Sukna land scam from the Armed Forces Tribunal here.
Giving reasons for the move, Rath's counsel Ajit K Singh said his client withdrew the petition as the tribunal had already ordered reconvening of the Court of Inquiry (COI) in the case allowing Lt Gen (retd) Avadesh Prakash, former Military Secretary, to cross examine six witnesses.
“During the COI and cross-examination by Prakash, we will also get the opportunity to present our side. So, we will wait for the outcome of the COI and then take further decision,” he said.
Asked if the reconvening of the COI would delay court martial proceedings against him also, he said: “Nothing can proceed until the COI is over as we are also part of it.”
Rath's petition in the Delhi High Court, in which he had contended that he had been singled out in the case and the “offence” against him had been “prejudged”, was dismissed on jurisdiction issue earlier this month. Thereafter, he had moved to the Principal Bench of the AFT here.
The Eastern Command, headed by Army Chief-designate Lt Gen VK Singh, had initiated the COI against Gen Rath after the Cabinet Committee of Appointments had approved his elevation as Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Rath said in his petition.
Rath, along with Lt Gen Prakash, is facing court martial in the case that relates to no objection certificate being given by the Army to a private realtor to construct an educational institution on a 71-acre plot adjacent to Sukna military base in Darjeeling. — PTI
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Militant emerges from debris, killed in retaliatory fire :Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS Retd.
Militant emerges from debris, killed in retaliatory fire
Srinagar, February 24 -A day after the encounter between hiding
militants and the security forces ended in Sopore, a militant was
gunned down after he emerged from the rubble of three houses
and opened fire at the troops engaged in search operation this
afternoon.
The troops had already recovered the body of another militant
from the debris after the search operations were resumed this
morning and recovered three AK rifles. The identity of the
militants whose bodies were recovered from the encounter
scene was yet to be ascertained, Defence spokesperson Lt-Col.
JS Brar said.
When combing operations were going on today, an armed
militant emerged from the debris and tried to attack the
troopers, sources said.
The militant was,however,killed in retaliatory fire by the
troops, sources said.This was the first time that militants
were able to launch an attack during the combing operations
after the encounter. The militants who had engaged the troops
in the encounter since Monday night, had killed a Captain after
he was trapped in the cluster of houses during the search
operations. When trying to contact him on his cell phone
yesterday, his colleagues were threatened by the militants who
had killed the officer and took away his phone.
“The combing operations are being done with utmost care to
avoid any damage due to the presence of any explosives in the
debris,” police sources said. The sources said the militants
belonged to different outfits, including the Hizbul Mujahideen,
the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
Srinagar, February 24 -A day after the encounter between hiding
militants and the security forces ended in Sopore, a militant was
gunned down after he emerged from the rubble of three houses
and opened fire at the troops engaged in search operation this
afternoon.
The troops had already recovered the body of another militant
from the debris after the search operations were resumed this
morning and recovered three AK rifles. The identity of the
militants whose bodies were recovered from the encounter
scene was yet to be ascertained, Defence spokesperson Lt-Col.
JS Brar said.
When combing operations were going on today, an armed
militant emerged from the debris and tried to attack the
troopers, sources said.
The militant was,however,killed in retaliatory fire by the
troops, sources said.This was the first time that militants
were able to launch an attack during the combing operations
after the encounter. The militants who had engaged the troops
in the encounter since Monday night, had killed a Captain after
he was trapped in the cluster of houses during the search
operations. When trying to contact him on his cell phone
yesterday, his colleagues were threatened by the militants who
had killed the officer and took away his phone.
“The combing operations are being done with utmost care to
avoid any damage due to the presence of any explosives in the
debris,” police sources said. The sources said the militants
belonged to different outfits, including the Hizbul Mujahideen,
the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
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