The NCC Girls Expedition toTrishul 1 was flagged-off by Lt Gen A Chakravarty, VSM, Director General National Cadets Corps from New Delhi. The team led by Col Gaurav Karki, comprises of 15 NCC Girl Cadets and three officers. It willattempt to scale the Peak from 17 Sep to 22 Sep 2015. These 15 girls were selected form the group of 35 that had scaled the 6100m high Mt Deo-Tibba in the Pir Panjal range earlier in June this year. From this lot, ten girls will be selected to scale Mount Everest in 2016.
Trishul massif, located in Nanda Devi Sanctuary in Western Kumaon Region of Uttarakhand, about 15 km southwest of Nanda Deviis a group of three Himalayan peaks, resembling the trident weapon of Lord Shiva. The main peak, Trishul I,at 7120m is the highest of the three. It can be approached from the northeast, through the Rishi Ganga gorge entering the inner sphere of NandaDevi sanctuary. Alternately, thewestern route through village Ghat, which is technically difficult and physically demanding can be used.
HOWITZER SALE ON FAST TRACK
The Ministry of Defence, Government of India and the Pentagon, are reportedly fast tracking the sale of 145 M777 Howitzers to India, through the Foreign Military Sale route, following earlier delays to the acquisition. The guns, manufactured by BAE Systems, come with a revised price tag of USD 700 million. Offsets with Indian firms are estimated to cover about 30 percent of the contracts value. The M777 ultra-lightweight towed 155mm howitzer has an integrated digital fire control system and can fire all existing 155mm projectiles. Use of advanced titanium and aluminium alloys, has led to reduced weight of the gun, which at about 4000 kg, allows for carriage by medium lift helicopters, and also enables airdrop by C-130 aircraft, making it a force multiplier in mountainous regions.
INFILTRATION BID FOILED BY 36 RR
In the early hours of 18 September, 2015, troops of 36 RR, deployed on the Line of Control (LOC), intercepted a group of terrorists attempting to sneak into India. The terrorists were encountered in total darkness, near Nowshera Nar in Kanzalwan area of Gurez, just as they crossed the LOC. An intense gunfight ensued, in which two terrorists were eliminated and the remainder took cover in the rocks and bushes. The operations continued by day and by late afternoon, three more terrorists were gunned down, bringing the total to five. A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered, to include five AK- 47 rifles, 1 RPG and 1 UBGL.
The Army has been on a high state of alert for a very long period of time. This follows Pakistan’s desperate attempts to infiltrate terrorists into India to vitiate the peace that has come into the state over the last few years. This desperation is increasing, as with the onset of winter, the passes will close, making infiltration much more difficult. Credible reports state that over 200 terrorists are waiting on the launch pads in POK, for infiltration. This year has already seen 13 attempts to infiltrate terrorists from North Kashmir, in which 28 terrorists were eliminated. The previous year saw 59 terrorists being killed during infiltration. The swift action by the Army, firstly in intercepting the terrorists, and then in systematically eliminating them, without any collateral damage and with no casualty to own troops, reflects the high state of morale and operational readiness of our forces deployed along the LOC
ALL TERRAIN HEAVY MOBILITY VEHICLES FOR THE ARMY
The first lot of all terrain heavy mobility vehicles will be delivered to the defence forces by December by Tata Motors. The company, which won a Rs 900 crore order for over 1,200 all terrain ‘6×6’ heavy mobility vehicles, will deliver the same over the next two years, with the first tranche of 40 vehicles being delivered by December. These vehicles are fitted with material handling cranes for loading and unloading of stores, weapons, ammunition and others and will form the backbone of forward logistics chain of the Indian army. They have high mobility and far higher pay loads and are fitted with 380 HP engine.
As per the vice president of the company, Mr VS Noronha, these vehicles will be manufactured at their Jamshedpur facility and the company would aim for 95 percent indigenisation within two years.Earlier, for the last 20 years, the Indian Army hasbeen importing and assembling 6×6 and 8×8 vehicles from Czechoslovakia. With the Centre opening up competition to the indigenousplayers, Tata motors won the contract, its bid being Rs 20 lakh lower than the competition. The benefit of ‘Make in India’, thus ultimately goes to the Indian Army.
