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KOLKATA:India’s defence preparedness has hit a roadblock, thanks to the Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal. To thwart China’s military plans near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and incursions violating it, the Indian Army and Indian Air Force have been planning to expand their operations in north Bengal and set up new bases. But such plans have run into trouble because of the land acquisition policy of the Mamata Banerjee regime.
India army soldiers
The Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) proposals to expand the army cantonment at Kalimpong and set up an armoured corps division and a “composite aviation base” in north Bengal hang in the balance as the state government has remained silent over land acquisition since the last two years. To break the deadlock, senior officers of the Eastern Command held a “civil-military liaison” meeting with senior officials of the state government last month.
A MoD official said: “Not acquiring land from farmers for industry might be the CM’s policy for vote bank politics but this is a case of national security which can never be compromised because of populism. We need the land as soon as possible to expand our base as we have been receiving disturbing reports about Chinese activities across the border in this region.”Defence officers pointed out that unlike West Bengal, neighbouring Assam had fully cooperated. IAF stations in Tezpur and Chhabua in Dibrugarh had been upgraded and bases for Sukhoi T-50 aircraft have been made. The existing IAF stations in Jorhat and Mohanbari in Assam and Bagdogra and Hashimara in West Bengal are being modernised. At Panagarh’s mountain strike corps headquarters, an IAF station for C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft which can fly troops and weapons very fast to the Sino-Indian border has been built.
A state government official, who was present at the “civil-military liaison meeting” pleaded helplessness and said, “We fully realise the immediate need of the forces. We have informed them that the present government treats the issue of land acquisition in a different manner compared to the earlier ones. The decision has to be taken by the state cabinet headed by the CM.”
Following intelligence reports and Chinese activity along the LAC, the Indian Army has marked parts of north Bengal and northeast region of the country, particularly Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as its own territory, as a “sensitive zone”. In 2013, then defence minister A K Antony had approved a budget of Rs 65,000 crore to form a “mountain strike corps” in the eastern and north-eastern regions. Accordingly two mountain divisions were “fully raised” with 30,000 troops in the northeast as a counter-measure and to shore up mountain warfare capabilities.
The new mountain divisions came up at a time when India’s security brass was warily watching the massive upgrade of Chinese military infrastructure along the 4,057-km LAC—the ceasefire line as there is no demarcated border—in all the three sectors like western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh).
West Bengal is closely connected with the MoD’s plans to counter China’s growing military presence in southern Tibet but Banerjee’s vote bank politics is a stumbling block in the region.
Two years ago a senior army official had met the CM at Siliguri and sought 750 acres of land next to the Binaguri army cantonment to establish an armoured corps division. He stressed the need saying that China was actively increasing its influence in bordering Bhutan and Nepal, according to military intelligence (MI) reports.
MI reports stated that China was carrying out charitable activities and imparting free education through some voluntary organisations next to the LAC, and using them to carry out espionage activities in the region. The neighbouring country was also spending huge sums of money in setting up Buddhist monasteries in the region, it pointed out.
The army, which has a strong presence in Binaguri cantonment, plans not only to increase its personnel but also have an armoured corps division with MBT Arjun tanks and armoured vehicles. It currently has 63 armoured corps regiments, and has also raised the Ladakh Scouts and two battalions of Arunachal.
According to the proposals, an armoured corps division is planned at Jalpaiguri’s Dumdim, a “composite aviation base” of the IAF at Shougaon, and expansion of army base at Kalimpong in Darjeeling district.
During the meeting with senior state government officials, the defence officers said that for posting the new mountain division, the armoured corps base equipped with latest weapons, including missiles, 750 acres of land was needed at Dumdim. The army had also identified the land needed for railway link to Dumdim and the MoD had given the green signal to acquire the land in 2013.
For the IAF’s base at Shougaon, 361 acres are needed and 1,250 acres for expansion of the army cantonment at Kalimpong. According to sources at Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command, “Expansion of the Kalimpong base is an immediate need as it is one of the pillars to guard our borders with China in Sikkim as 15,000 troops are deployed in that base spread over 415 acres. We need to expand it three times and that is why an additional 1,250 acres is needed.”
The state government, however, has not yet given the ‘no objection certificate’ to acquire the land. During the meeting with civilian officials the defence officers stressed the need for the aviation base in the “Siliguri corridor” at Shougan with latest aircraft which would be supported by the army in view of a Chinese invasion.
Of the 361 acres identified by the defence officers at Shougaon, 228 acres are within a tea garden of which 97 acres belong to the army. The army’s repeated letters seeking acquisition of the remaining 166 acres have gone in vain.
The government of “Ma, Mati, Manush” (mother, soil and masses)—besieged with multi-crore chit fund scam charges, growing atrocities against women and with the BJP knocking on its doors—seems to be more engrossed in playing to the gallery of voters than the nation’s security.
A MoD official said: “Not acquiring land from farmers for industry might be the CM’s policy for vote bank politics but this is a case of national security which can never be compromised because of populism. We need the land as soon as possible to expand our base as we have been receiving disturbing reports about Chinese activities across the border in this region.”Defence officers pointed out that unlike West Bengal, neighbouring Assam had fully cooperated. IAF stations in Tezpur and Chhabua in Dibrugarh had been upgraded and bases for Sukhoi T-50 aircraft have been made. The existing IAF stations in Jorhat and Mohanbari in Assam and Bagdogra and Hashimara in West Bengal are being modernised. At Panagarh’s mountain strike corps headquarters, an IAF station for C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft which can fly troops and weapons very fast to the Sino-Indian border has been built.
A state government official, who was present at the “civil-military liaison meeting” pleaded helplessness and said, “We fully realise the immediate need of the forces. We have informed them that the present government treats the issue of land acquisition in a different manner compared to the earlier ones. The decision has to be taken by the state cabinet headed by the CM.”
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| Mamata Banerjee |
The new mountain divisions came up at a time when India’s security brass was warily watching the massive upgrade of Chinese military infrastructure along the 4,057-km LAC—the ceasefire line as there is no demarcated border—in all the three sectors like western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh).
West Bengal is closely connected with the MoD’s plans to counter China’s growing military presence in southern Tibet but Banerjee’s vote bank politics is a stumbling block in the region.
Two years ago a senior army official had met the CM at Siliguri and sought 750 acres of land next to the Binaguri army cantonment to establish an armoured corps division. He stressed the need saying that China was actively increasing its influence in bordering Bhutan and Nepal, according to military intelligence (MI) reports.
MI reports stated that China was carrying out charitable activities and imparting free education through some voluntary organisations next to the LAC, and using them to carry out espionage activities in the region. The neighbouring country was also spending huge sums of money in setting up Buddhist monasteries in the region, it pointed out.
The army, which has a strong presence in Binaguri cantonment, plans not only to increase its personnel but also have an armoured corps division with MBT Arjun tanks and armoured vehicles. It currently has 63 armoured corps regiments, and has also raised the Ladakh Scouts and two battalions of Arunachal.
According to the proposals, an armoured corps division is planned at Jalpaiguri’s Dumdim, a “composite aviation base” of the IAF at Shougaon, and expansion of army base at Kalimpong in Darjeeling district.
During the meeting with senior state government officials, the defence officers said that for posting the new mountain division, the armoured corps base equipped with latest weapons, including missiles, 750 acres of land was needed at Dumdim. The army had also identified the land needed for railway link to Dumdim and the MoD had given the green signal to acquire the land in 2013.
For the IAF’s base at Shougaon, 361 acres are needed and 1,250 acres for expansion of the army cantonment at Kalimpong. According to sources at Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command, “Expansion of the Kalimpong base is an immediate need as it is one of the pillars to guard our borders with China in Sikkim as 15,000 troops are deployed in that base spread over 415 acres. We need to expand it three times and that is why an additional 1,250 acres is needed.”
The state government, however, has not yet given the ‘no objection certificate’ to acquire the land. During the meeting with civilian officials the defence officers stressed the need for the aviation base in the “Siliguri corridor” at Shougan with latest aircraft which would be supported by the army in view of a Chinese invasion.
Of the 361 acres identified by the defence officers at Shougaon, 228 acres are within a tea garden of which 97 acres belong to the army. The army’s repeated letters seeking acquisition of the remaining 166 acres have gone in vain.
The government of “Ma, Mati, Manush” (mother, soil and masses)—besieged with multi-crore chit fund scam charges, growing atrocities against women and with the BJP knocking on its doors—seems to be more engrossed in playing to the gallery of voters than the nation’s security.
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