North East is as safe as any other region, says V. K. Singh
source:The Hindu
A file
picture of Chief of the Army Staff General V.K. Singh addressing the media in
New Delhi. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty.
Interacting with mediapersons on his maiden visit to the military
station here, the General said already five major public sector units, all
having a bearing on the country’s defence production, were in Kerala.
The Army’s deployment and infrastructure build up in Kerala,
including the positioning of its amphibious combat battalions, would depend on
“our” immediate and future threat perceptions.
Replying to a question on the controversy regarding his age, the
General said it could have been immensely avoided. When asked who could have
avoided the row, the General replied “by everybody”.
The North East was as safe as any other region in the country.
Insurgent groups such as National Development Front of Bodoland and United
Liberation Front of Asom have come to the negotiating table. In Nagaland, there
has been a cessation of the hostilities between different groups and the State.
Manipur no more has the profile of a violence prone State. Tripura was largely
peaceful except for few isolated instances of sporadic violence.
India’s main battle tank Arjun was already in service. The Army
would continue to evaluate the current and future versions and prototypes of the
battle tank, point out the rectifications to be made and decide whether they
were “good or not”.
On the issue of possible corruption in Defence procurement, the
General said the Army’s thrust was on “transparency and probity” in all matters.
“The Army has elaborate procedures to ensure that we don’t get
saddled with equipment which are not good or substandard. If we find defects,
the Army corrects it. I will also say that it requires a wide range of changes
in the entire system. The Army is just a miniscule part of it”, he said.
The General said he had Defence Minister A. K. Antony’s support on
the proposed “one rank-one pension” scheme of the Indian Army. Its
implementation would cost the public exchequer Rs 1,300 crore.
The Army chief mixed easily with journalists, camera persons,
fellow officers and their families. He asked reporters whether it was okay if he
spoke informally with them during tea rather than taking the podium to answer
their questions.
Earlier, Chief Minister Oomen Chandy released the coffee table
book, North East Trilogy. The General had arrived in the city on Monday.
He visited the landmark Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple early on
Tuesday. Lt. Gen. A. K. Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern
Command, was among those present.
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