Book on Army's achievements

Defence Minister A.K. Antony, along with Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshall P.V. Naik and other officers, at the Air Force Commanders Conference in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: S. Subramanium of The Hindu
Friday, Apr 29, 2011 Special Correspondent The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh has released a book “Footprints — On the Sands of Time; Indian Army's Unique Achievements,” at a ceremony during the ongoing Army Commanders Conference here.

The book, compiled by a team of officers at the office of Additional Directorate General of Public Information, comprises more than 200 entries, most of which are historic or unique in their own way and pertain to the military environment and ethos.

The Army Chief also presented medals for essay competition. Colonel Manish Bhave and Lieutenant Colonel B.S. Rai won gold medals in their respective categories — on subjects, “Future Shape, Size and Structure of the Indian Army” and “Man Management and Stress Management in LIC [Low Intensity Conflict] Situation.” respectively. Havildar Anand Prakash was awarded the top medal for his essay “Army as a Profession” in the Junior Commission Officers and Other Ranks group, a Defence Ministry release said.

Captain Rochak Tyagi, Major A.K. Mishra and Subedar Anant Ram bagged silver medals, followed by Lieutenant Colonel K. Ravichandran, Lieutenant Amit Semwal and Naib Subedar Puran Chandra who won bronze medals.
Book on Army's achievemnts
Related reading
Guard against corrupt practices, Antony tells Army, Air Force

Bengal Sappers rescue 1,200 in 3 days

Roorkee, September 22. Personnel of the Bengal Sappers provide medical aid to an old woman; and (right) pass through a sugarcane field in their boat to rescue marooned villagers near Laksar on Wednesday. Photos: Navreet Milton

The havoc created by the Solani river in parts of Uttarakhand in the past few days due to incessant rain has forced the civil administration to requisition the services of the army to undertake rescue and relief operations on a war footing.

The Bengal Sappers in Roorkee have been providing succour to marooned villagers for the past 72 hours in Laskar and nearby villages of Jogawali, Dabkikhera, Dhadeki, Hastmoli, Mathani and Monawala. Laksar in Haridwar district has been badly hit this monsoon. Jogawali village, known for revenue generation through its rice and sugarcane crops, is one of the worst affected villages.

Columns of the Bengal Sappers have rescued marooned villagers and provided them with food and medical aid.

The fact that the submerged areas are crocodile infested made it difficult for the villagers to wade through the water to safer areas. It was a relief for them when army rescue boats arrived with rations and medicines.

Food packets have been provided by the civil administration while medical relief is being administered by army doctors.

There were many villages which could not be accessed initially by rescue teams. It was only after persistent efforts of two rescue teams comprising four Sapper officers, two medical officers, eight JCOs and 100 jawans of the Bengal Engineer Group that the teams could navigate their way in dangerous crocodile and snake-infested flood waters and reach the marooned villages.

It is now three days that army rescue teams from Roorkee have been engaged in rescue operations.

They have evacuated 1,200 persons from 15 to 18 villages and administered medical aid to almost 750 victims.

The army has also distributed 7,600 food packets to flood victims. An army doctor said that most cases were of fever, diarrhoea and severe dehydration.

Dabkikhera village, which had a habitation of 250 houses, has been wiped out by floods. Though most rescued animals have been provided shelter in buildings, their survival is in doubt as no fodder is available. Uttarakhand has seen such devastation due to floods after 32 years.
Bengal Sappers rescue 1,200 in 3 days Tribune News Service

No threat to Games Village as floods raise water level

Taj Mahal as Shah Jahan saw it
A river in spate, the angry and overflowing Yamuna is now touching the foundation of the Taj Mahal, providing thousands of visitors to the 'Symbol of Love' a rare spectacle — "just the way the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had wanted it to look." Heritage lover Sudhir Gupta said: "If the emperor had been alive and looking at the Taj from his confines in the fort he would have been mighty pleased, for that is how he had wanted it to look."
Flood situation worsens in Bareilly & Moradabad Monday 20 September, 2010.
More than 200 villages have been inundated in Bareilly and Moradabad divisions due to floods even as seven trains have been cancelled in the region.

Vehicular movement on National Highway 24, connecting Delhi with Lucknow, which was closed on Saturday night after its section near Moradabad division was flooded, would remain suspended till 22nd September.

More than 200 villages in Bareilly and Moradabad have been hit by floods due to incessant rain and release of water in Ramganga and Kosi rivers from Kalagarh, Naraura, Behgul, Nand Sagar and Dhaura dams.

According to Central Water Commission report, Ramganga was swelling by 2 cm by every hour. The danger mark is at 204.83 metres. The water level had touched 206.78 metres last week. There is no threat to Games Village even if the water level rises
Flood situation worsens in Bareilly & Moradabad

Over 500 NDRF Personnel Deployed for Flood Relief in Uttarakhand, Up & Bihar
2o Sep 2010, 17:27 IST
The Government of India has sent six teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for rescue and relief work in Uttarakhand. Three teams comprising of 90 NDRF personnel along with 20 boats and other flood and rescue equipment have been deployed at Haridwar. Other three teams comprising of 101 personnel along with 25 boats and other flood and rescue equipment have been deployed at Rishikesh.

As on date, Rs 87.49 crore is available with the State Government in their Calamity Relief Fund/State Disaster Response Fund account.

In Bihar, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) consisting of 152 personnel along with 31 boats /equipments have been deployed in Gopalganj since 16-9-10 for rescue and relief work. Additionally, two teams consisting of 66 NDRF personnel along with 12 OBM boats have been deployed in Gopalganj on 19.9.2010.

As on date 1491.28 crore is available with the Bihar Government in their Calamity Relief Fund/State Disaster Response Fund account. However the final figures will be subject to reconciliation between the State Government and State Accountant General.

In Uttar Pradesh, a total of 79 NDRF personnel along with 11 boats have been deployed in Uttar Pradesh at Muradabad (39 personnel with 6 boats), Rampur (40 personnel with 5 boats). In addition 01 team comprising of 40 NDRF personnel with 5 boats and other flood and rescue equipment have been deployed in Rampur on 19.9.2010.

As on date, Rs 667.04 crore is available with the State Government in their Calamity Relief Fund /State Disaster Response Fund account.

Ministry of Home Affairs is constantly monitoring the situation in close coordination with the concerned State Governments and nodal Central Ministries.
Over 500 NDRF Personnel Deployed for Flood Relief in Uttarakhand, Up & Bihar

Disaster Management Secretary takes Rs 5 Million from Distiller

Top IAS officer held on corruption charges
NDTV Correspondent, Wednesday April 28, 2010, New Delhi
A top home ministry official, O Ravi, has been arrested for corruption after the CBI raided his residence.

Ravi is a 1983 batch IAS officer and posted as Joint Secretary Disaster Management and Policy. He has been charged with taking Rs 50 lakhs in bribe from Alok Khimani, a distiller from Daman and Diu.

Sources said Khimani faced huge tax evasion charges slapped on him by the present administrator posted by the Centre in the Union Territory and wanted him removed.

The CBI has also raided another Home Ministry official, a Director-level Indian Railway Services officer for allegedly taking Rs 10 lakhs in bribe for awarding contracts.
Top IAS officer held on corruption charges
Rs 100 crore earmarked to Revamp Civil Defence
Top bureaucrats linked to big bribes

Comment: No wonder the Home Ministry bureaucrats cannot handle/ manage a Disaster or Crisis like that of Mumbai Mayhem. The home ministry officials are just filling up their own coffers instead of enumerating or implementing any policy on disaster management. The Home Minister needs to get the dead wood weeded out quickly! We have many similar bureaucrats in every Ministry who take refuge in the cancerous corrupt system who seldom get caught or exposed. The CBI, IB and others must use the sting operations to catch similar culprits and expose them through the media.

Floods in South: Army begin rescue

Indian Army began the rescue operation on Friday
Saturday, October 03, 2009 (07:30:38)
Bangalore/Hyderabad: At least 130 people have been killed in Karnataka and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in heavy rain since Wednesday and army boats and air force helicopters on Friday began to rescue hundreds of people marooned at several places. One hundred and four people have died in six north Karnataka districts and 26 in Andhra Pradesh in the torrential rain caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal. Hundreds of people in the two states were trapped in flood waters and were waiting on rooftops and higher places to be rescued. Thousands more have been rendered homeless.

In Karnataka, the maximum number of 29 deaths were reported from Bijapur.

"Ovger 40,000 houses have been damaged," a spokesperson for the Karnataka revenue ministry told media.

He said five helicopters and 40 boats have been deployed for rescue and relief operartions. Over 85 relief centres have been set up, he added.

In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister K. Rosaiah said the flood situation was grim and army personnel have been deployed for rescue operations.

Six helicopters have been pressed into service to rescue people. While four helicopters are being used to airlift the flood-hit in Kurnool district, two choppers were deployed in Mahabubnagar district. A helicopter rescued 15 people in the famous pilgrim town of Mantralayam.
Rain fury claims 130 in Andhra, Karnataka; Army begin rescue

Defence Forces lead the search for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister

Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in May 2009, during his swearing-in-ceremony as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state in Hyderabad, India. (Mahesh Kumar A. / Associated Press)
Frantic search on for Andhra CM as daylight slips away
New Delhi, Sep.2 (ANI): As the search for the missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister has intensified, the Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 aircraft has been pressed into service to help in the ongoing operations.

“A Sukhoi-30 aircraft has left Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh to search out for the missing Andhra Pradesh CM. It will carry out its search in the Nallamalla region for the CM,” stated a TV report at 8 o’clock.

As part of government attempts to search for the missing CM, the Army is sending 500 commandos of its Special Force “Ghatak”, who are specially trained in the jungle warfare.
Air Force pressed into service for search
Frantic search on for Andhra CM as daylight slips away

Do we have a Doomsday survival Plan in the event of a Nuclear attack?

PhotoA highly important consequence of the tremendous power of the nuclear explosions was the formation of enormous numbers of flying missiles consisting of bricks (and other masonry), glass, pieces of wood and metal, etc. These caused considerable amounts of secondary damage to structures and utilities, and numerous casualties even in the lightly damaged areas. In addition, the large quantities of debris resulted in the blockage of streets, thus making rescue and fire-fighting operations extremely difficult.

The Doomsday Blueprints elaborated a comprehensive national survival plan developed by the US President, the National Security Agency and various crisis agencies, most recently the Federal Emergency Management Agency and that encompassed every federal agency and department. The Blueprints were elaborated in a series of regulations – running into several hundred pages-called the Code of Emergency Federal Regulations. Action plans based on them were held by all agencies and duplicates were kept at each relocation site. The plans relied on redundancy. If one location was vaporized, others would take up the slack. Officials were divided into three squads – Alpha, Bravo and Charlie – and one team would remain at headquarters while the other two redeployed at other sites.

In pursuit of its plans, the United States government issued nearly 55 million wallet-sized instruction cards on what to do during an attack. Senior government officials were given a special emergency phone number to call in the event on an attack which bypassed the commercial phone networks and connected directly to crisis operators. Users had a secret codeword – "FLASH" – that indicated to the operators that the call was "essential to national survival." Kept with the President at all times were the Presidential Emergency Action Documents and "Plan D" – a summary of the new dictator’s options for responding to the surprise attack – without a Congressional declaration of war, of course.
Read More: The Feds of united States Plan To Save Themselves During a Nuclear War

Army called in to Manage Load Dispatches to Petrol Pumps

Oil PSUs & Truck Strike :9Jan09 - Part1


Army was called in to manage loading and dispatches to petrol pumps as the Government ordered arrests and dismissals of officers keeping off work. The move cracked the Oil Sector Officers Association, with Bharat Petroleum, the second largest retailer, walking out of the agitation instantly.

Oil PSU execs call off strike following Govt's tough stance

Truckers' strike: States cooperation must, says Chidambaram
Press Trust of India / New Delhi January 09, 2009, 17:30 IST
The Centre today said it is in talks with states to resolve the five-day-old truckers' strike, which along with the PSU oil officers' stir, has affected movement of goods across the country. "The road transport secretary has said we are talking to the states. We will have to take the states with us," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet, which reviewed the situation arising out of the strike.

He said the Centre needs to take consent of states since most of the issues raised by the truckers relate to them. The truckers have been demanding putting diesel in the declared goods category, leading to a cut in fuel price, unrestricted import of tyres, a single national permit and reduction in toll taxes, among others. "The issue of service tax exemption has been resolved. The other issue of increase in toll is factually incorrect," he said.

"All other demands pertain to the states. Yet, the truckers go on strike that is against the interest of the people and therefore, steps are being taken by the Ministry of Surface Transport to deal with the matter," Chidambaram added.
Truckers' strike: States cooperation must, says Chidambaram

Comment: One billion citizens held to ransom. The reasons outlined by the media for the strike seems so frivolous compared to the sufferings inflicted on the poor and needy. Shortages and Spiralling prices have hit the common man. Are Politicians and Bureaucrats responsible for governance? The Armed Forces are used like ping pongs to shore up the corrupt bureaucrats who take no responsiblity at any hour of National Crisis. Not a single bureaucrat held responsible for the lost lives or sufferings of the millions of citizens.

Army Rescues Pilgrims: Do we have a crisis management structure in place?

Portions of the ladder leading to the Geparnath Mahadev temple, near Kota, that collapsed
All the pilgrims stranded at the Gaiparnath Shiva cave temple in Kota, Rajasthan, have been rescued with the help of Army jawans on Monday. Two persons, both engineering students have been killed in the incident. Nearly 135 pilgrims, including 35 women and 20 children were stranded when the serpentine stairway to the temple collapsed on Sunday evening.

The incident took place when the stairway (cantilever type ladder, supported from one end) collapsed due to heavy rush of pilgrims and landslide due to heavy rains in the area. The 16th century famous Gaiparnath Shiva temple in the cave, a favourite tourist spot of the region, is situated on the foothills of Chambal ravines, about 25 km from Kota on the Rawatbhata road. The district administration rushed to the spot and rescue operations were started under the supervision of district collector Abhay Kumar and superintendent of police Vishal Bansal. As the rescue operations were stopped during the night, food packets were provided to the stranded people. Women and children were rescued first.

Army jawans used three heavy cranes summoned from the Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant (RAPP) and five fire tenders to rescue the people from the cave. IAF helicopters were also flown from Jodhpur to assist the rescue team.
Kota: Stranded pilgrims rescued

Do we have Natural Disaster, Technological, and Other Emergencies Structure in place like in other countries? Does the Nation/ states periodically rehearse emergency crisis management drills? Mumbai Mayhem has exposed our weak flanks aptly fuelled by bureaucrats! Have we learnt lessons from the past?
Departmental Emergency Programs

Response to Singhvi's "Shameful Naval Gazers"

Response to: Shameful Naval Gazers by Vir Sanghvi

To: feedback@hindustantimes.com
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2008 10:54 AM
Subject: Naval-Gazers!

Dear Sir,
I read the article by Mr. Vir Sanghvi in today's edition of HT with dismay & patience. I hope the HT will read my comments with equal patience.

Firstly, Chiefs of Armed Forces taking salutes today were not laterally inducted. They were junior officers once & went through the rigors & risks of Armed Forces just like those of the present generation. A remark like that, at best, is disrespectful towards the Officer's service in the Nation's cause. Where does this remark place the thousands of ex-servicemen, who took part in numerous operations, won gallantry awards & also took salutes towards the end of their time in the Armed Forces?

As regards coastal defence, I would recommend Mr.Sanghvi to check out the existing responsibilities assigned to various authorities, notwithstanding his own story earlier. Perhaps an article in TOI dated 4th.December captioned "Time right for a single-window marine security agency" would be a good point to start with.
Marcos. Yes, the press conference need not have taken place. Yes, Marcos are not media savy. They are not trained for it & they are also not as trained for hostage situations as the NSG are. But they did not just "prowl around". They filled the vacuum admirably till the NSG arrived. They rescued hostages & suffered their own casualties. Should one be so dismissive of them?

The SAG of NSG, who did such a good job during the whole episode, comprised of Army personnel. Adverse comparison of Naval commandos vis-a-vis their Army counterparts is counter-productive. It may give rise to unnecessary friction between components of the Armed Forces fraternity in times of tension & external hostility.
Finally, it seems that Admiral Mehta has been picked on for speaking the truth. Perhaps reference to the Kargil rumours could have been avoided. But the rest? Or is it that truth be damned-just don't criticise the media?

Yours truly,
MB Ghosh
Vice Admiral PVSM,AVSM,NM I.N.(Retd.)

Mumbai Standoff Never Again

Indian Express Posted: Dec 02, 2008 at 0229 hrs IST

This terrorist attack was the worst the country has faced. The worst in terms of locations targeted; of the audacity of the terrorists; the highly coordinated nature of the terrorist operation; the sophistication of the weapons used; the number of casualties; the destruction caused; and of the time taken for resolving the issue. We have learnt little after being targets of terrorist actions over relentless decades. There was a major attack in Delhi just this September; another soon after in Guwahati; and yet, we have again been found napping. Why is it that we seem so helpless? The reason is that we have been unable to get our act together and continue to deal with this major menace in a fractured and uncoordinated manner.

Unfortunately, all that our leadership — not just the political leadership but also the emergency core group of officials — have to offer are platitudes and exhortations to maintain communal harmony and remain calm. These are, of course, vital; but they are not a comprehensive plan that could work to counter such activities. Till date, there is apparently no attempt at planning, although we are, today, the biggest victims of terrorism.

After 9/11, the US administration took many measures to ensure that such attacks did not recur. They set up a structured organisation in the form of the department of homeland security, which served as the nodal agency for command and control, with other agencies reporting to it. The proof of the pudding is in the eating: not one terrorist incident has taken place in mainland America after instituting these measures.

Compare that to India, which has no terrorism strategy. All we have is crisis management, which is indeed the very antithesis of strategy, and thus meaningless. There are too many sources of this strategic confusion: our agencies, clueless as ever; various police forces, activated only when an incident occurs; Centre and states blaming each other, as security is a state subject; a political leadership focussed unwaveringly on the next elections; core officials easily reverting to their earlier dispensations and routine.

As someone who spent a life in the military, the most striking thing about the Mumbai standoff was the chaos visible outside all the venues. No one was apparently in command or co-ordinating the various operations. No communication arrangements were visible: everyone seemed to be communicating only by their mobiles! This is a major threat, akin to war: it is unthinkable that we can expect to succeed in our objective if we proceed in such a lackadaisical manner.

Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (Retd)
Never Again