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Friday, October 30, 2009

CSSS GETS VERY GOOD DEAL

As per the 6th Pay Commission's Recommendations, the Central Secretariat Stenographers Service (CSSS) has got a very good break through and 28 Senior Private Secretaries of CSSS working in Government of India have been appointed to the newly upgraded posts of Principal Staff Officer (PSO) in the pay band 4 (Rs.37, 400 - 67,000/- + grade pay of Rs.8, 700/-.)

Whispers....

Pilot who runs dist’s biggest dairy farm

Walking the earth once you have tasted the sky is rather insipid. Laju Cherian has found a way out: cut your own path and fly high on its success. That’s why when he is not flying Mukesh Ambani or Rahul Gandhi, this former Air Force pilot is busy pursuing his interest in a dairy farm on the outskirts of the city. In fact, the biggest dairy farm in the district with 130 cows, supplying farm fresh milk to hundreds of homes and a number of hotels. Living two worlds can sometimes be tiresome, Laju agrees. Presently, he has flown down from Mumbai for a week, before flying to the US for a month. But Laju makes sure he is just a call away for his labourers in the farm and flies down when they need him. His interest in cows goes a long way back to his childhood. Laju grew up at his ancestral home in Ernakulam which boasted of a dozen cows, drinking pure cow’s milk and seeing his grandfather taking to agriculture: it was only natural for him to nurture love for farming. But it was only after he took voluntary retirement from the Indian Air Force at 33, a couple of years back, that this man actually thought of rearing cows. He started off with ten, then added another ten, then decided to build a farm which finally took a commercial look some two years back. ``Kerala has real brains, it has everything to grow. But no food security. By the time it will expand with IT parks, people here will have to beg before the neighbouring states. I always wanted to put in my share to develop agriculture here. Opening this farm was taking a step towards my vision. At least, a few will get to drink hygienic milk,’’ Laju says. He flies in the private sector and presently has a contract running with Reliance to fly Mukesh Ambani. Last elections he had flown Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to various constituencies. These are just a few of the big names he had taken on a flight. But listening to Laju speaking about the huge capital investment needed in dairy farming or the shortage of raw materials and labour in this field, you wouldn’t guess he knows better jobs. ``Rearing a calf to cow is an expensive affair which goes up to Rs 60,000. So, I talked with Dairy Development officials and currently, they have come up with a subsidy for heifer rearing scheme,’’ he says. Laju has hundreds of bulky Holstein Friesians, some pure breeds and a dozen calves and heifers in his farm at Mulayara, two kilometres from Vilappilsala. His farm supplies more than 1,000 litres of milk everyday to locals and hotels. It comes in white and green packets carrying the label Papa’s farm fresh milk. The yield is high these days, but it had gone down to 500 litres during last summer. Milking and packing is mechanised to ensure hygiene, Laju says. Now that is something this man seems to be obsessed with: hygiene. The way he narrates the usual processing steps that major milk brands abide by or some banned products had earlier adopted, would bring a stop to your habit of drinking packet milk itself. Laju’s wife, Tara, is a yoga practitioner and their only daughter, 12-year old Sruthi, is a student of St Thomas Higher Secondary school. If not for all, Laju is happy that at least his daughter gets to drink fresh cow’s milk. ``That’s why I have named it Papa’s dairy,’’ he smiles.

anil.asha@gmail.com

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Air warriors are becoming businessman

I WONDER : WHY CAN'T V ADDRESS THE CORE ISSUES LEADING TO SUCH ACTIONS BY SOLDIERS?


The Indian Air Force (IAF) has found that a large number of its men are moonlighting in their spare time and turning to trade and business. In fact, the IAF has sent out a strongly worded letter warning all its officers against such activities and warning them even of harshest steps like being sacked from service if its directive is not followed.

The letter comes from Air Vice Marshal R Sitaraman, in charge of administration who has said that the instances have particularly increased in the last one year to aid monitoring the situation, the Air Vice Marshal has asked for a list of those who have been warned earlier. TIMES NOW have accessed the document written to all the Air Force officers.

It is an internal directive from Air Vice Marshal R Sitaraman dated on 18th August and it notes that the persons subject to Air Force Act, 1950 are not allowed to engage in 'trade and business activities'. It goes on to say that the IAF head quarters has received a number of reports in the last one year pointing to breach of this rule by officers and warns the officers that such instances will be taken very seriously and stringent disciplinary and administrative action will be taken against those guilty to the extent that personnel found involved in business or trade even after that will be expelled from the IAF.

In fact even the Union Defence Minister AK Antony has not refused the existence of such an attempt to cleanse the Air Force. When asked by TIMES NOW , he stopped just short of accepting the fact that the IAF was aware of its men turning to moonlighting and said that the force is fast in stamping out aberrations, as and when they arise. 


Civilian War Memorial to come up in Goa soon

Panaji, Oct 29 (PTI) Nearly five decades after they laid down their lives for liberation of Goa from the Portuguese rule, a Civilian War Memorial would be established to commemorate the sacrifice of Indian soldiers.

"We are scouting for a suitable place to set up this memorial that will be located in a civilian area," Capt (Retd) Venugopal Nair, Secretary Rajya Sainik Welfare Board (RSWB), said today.

The RSWB, which takes care of 2,300 retired military men and army widows in Goa and is headed by Chief Minister Digamber Kamat, this year decided to set up the memorial to in the memory of Indian army soldiers who laid down their lives, he said.

Codenamed 'Operation Vijay', the 36-hour-long military exercise in 1961 -- involving air, sea and land strikes -- ended 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa.


Defence ministry orders inquiry against senior army commanders

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) The defence ministry Thursday ordered an inquiry into an alleged land scam in Darjeeling in West Bengal involving two lieutenant generals – including the designated deputy chief of army staff.
‘The defence minister (A.K. Antony) has ordered inquiry into the alleged land scam,’ a senior defence ministry official [^] said without divulging further information.

The alleged fraud related to how an institution, posing as an affiliate of the Ajmer-based Mayo College, obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from army officials for transferring a large tea estate adjacent to the Sukna military station in Darjeeling a few years ago.

An NOC is mandatory for sale of land adjacent to military stations due to security reasons. The army had initially refused an NOC but the decision was allegedly reversed by senior officers. Deputy Chief of Army Staff-designate Lt Gen P.K. Rath and present Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash have allegedly come under the scanner in the scam.

The army, which has already ordered a probe into the episode claims that the probe was against procedural lapses and not directed against any individual.

Antony Wednesday said that nobody would be allowed to go ’scot free’ if found guilty and that the government was taking a serious view of the corruption in the armed forces.

Arrest warrants against 2 armymen for links with ISI operative

Patna , Oct 29 A Bihar court today issued arrest warrants against two army personnel and a local for allegedly having links with an ISI operative. Chief Judicial Magistrate S P Singh accepted a petition by Patna police praying for issue of arrest warrants against army personnel Anil Kumar and Vivek Ranjan, besides a villager Pappu Srivastava from Bihar&aposs Madhubani district. The police in its petition had said prima facie involvement of the trio in aiding an ISI operative in passing information about deployment of Indian army had been established during investigation in a case against another army man Sudhanshu Sudhakar, arrested by state police recently on charge of spying for ISI. Sudhakar was dismissed from services in September. He is lodged in judicial custody in the high security Beur jail here.







Special Forces modernisation keeping in view Taliban menace: Army Chief

AGRA - To guard the territorial integrity and national security from any quarter, the Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, has assured that security forces are ready to face any challenge from the Taliban, and added that Special Forces modernisation is being done keeping in view asymmetric and fourth generation warfare.

Para commandos are elite special forces of Indian Army. They are the largest and most important part of the Special Forces of India. The parachute units of the Indian Army are among the oldest airborne units in the world. On April 15, 1952, by absorbing three parachute battalions the Parachute Regiment was finally formed.
“I like to assure everyone that we are ready to face any challenge,” General Kapoor told ANI when asked about the preparedness of the Army in wake of growing Taliban menace in neighbouring countries.
A fortnight ago Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud said that India is the next stop for Taliban fighters after they create an Islamic state in Pakistan.
“There are whole lot of new equipments, which is being thought of for Para Special Forces modernisation, especially in view of the fact that asymmetric warfare, and fourth generation warfare is a matter of concern and from that perspective we are trying to modernize entire Para Forces,” said the Army Chief during the paratroopers reunion hosted by the Parachute Brigade here on Tuesday.
Since the mid-1990s the role of Para commandos as a counter terrorist force has increased substantially. They are now actively involved in counter terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir to conduct pro-active raids against militants hiding in the countryside and mountains.
Commenting on the preparation of the Special Forces for 21st century warfare, Colonel of the regiment, Lt. General P C Katoch said: “One can see what is happening in the J-K, Northeast, there is outside interference. Parachute Regiment and Special Forces are all prepared for it all along.”
As part of the modernisation of the Special Forces, a hi-tech warfare training is being given to the troopers, who have been equipped with light weight weaponry to enable them to take swift action during combat operations.
The Special Forces, which is also known as the Red Devils for their courage and professionalism, have been equipped with Travor rifles that would prove beneficial to the troops, deployed in counter insurgency operations.
The Special Forces will also get helmets fixed with night vision binoculars and earpiece for communication purposes. The body armour will comprise of lightweight bulletproof vests and shoes. By Praful Kumar Singh (ANI)

Operation Bluestar did not go as planned: P.C. Alexander (25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination)

Indira Gandhi decided to send the army to the Golden Temple in 1984 as a last resort and only after getting repeated assurances from then army chief A.S. Vaidya that not a brick of the Sikh shrine would be harmed, recalls P.C. Alexander, the powerful principal secretary to the former prime minister.
'What happened was not planned. Things happened in the Golden Temple much against what had been approved by her and what had been indicated to her by the army chief,' Alexander, one of Gandhi's closest confidants, told IANS in a telephone interview from Chennai.

It has been 25 years since Gandhi was assassinated on Oct 31, 1984, by two Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for her ordering army troops to storm the Golden Temple complex in June 1984.

Tracing the events leading to the 'difficult decision' to send the army June 5, 1984 to liberate the temple from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the militant Sikh leader, and his cohorts rooting for a separate state, Alexander stressed that Gandhi's efforts all along were to find a political settlement.

'When she returned to power in 1980, she held a series of meetings with Akali leaders like Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, Parkash Singh Badal and Surjit Singh Barnala to find a solution to the Punjab problem,' said Alexander.

'But the Punjab situation was taking a dangerous turn.

'Bhindranwale was pursuing a policy of creating a rift between Sikhs and Hindus. He was organising an unofficial army and was spewing venom against the Hindu community. Money was flowing in from Britain, Canada.'

'Finally, when he occupied the Akal Takth and Harmandir Sahib, Mrs Gandhi realised that even if all their demands were granted, they will then also insist on a separate state,' he said.

The 88-year-old Alexander, who also served as governor of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, recalls vividly the fateful meeting on May 25, 1984 that was to culminate in the army action inside the Golden Temple and subsequently Gandhi's assassination Oct 31, 1984.

'Indira Gandhi had called a meeting to discuss the Punjab situation. Army chief, General A.S. Vaidya, RAW chief R.N. Kao, minister of state for defence K.P.Singh Deo, and I were present at that meeting.'

'She was assured by Gen. Vaidya that force will not be used inside the Golden Temple. She made it clear to Vaidya that the holy book will not be touched and not a single brick will be damaged and made Vaidya repeat these assurances many a time.

'Finally she gave the go-ahead, subject to these conditions,' he said.

'Four days later, (May 29, 1984), Vaidya again met her and said it was not possible to launch the operation as planned earlier as Bhindranwale and his men were heavily armed. He said it will be a risky operation but we will do our best not to harm the shrine.

'Mrs Gandhi listened to him. But in the end she agreed as she respected the army a lot. I trust my general,' Alexander recalled Gandhi telling Vaidya.

'However, the operation did not go as planned. The tanks had to be used as there were a large number of people armed with sophisticated weapons who were well-entrenched inside the temple.'

In retrospect, Alexander said Gandhi was anguished by all that had happened but her decision emanated from her belief that she had the superior knowledge to decide what was good for the country.

'Mrs Gandhi did not find fault with the army. She never said she was let down by the army. She was very proud of the Indian Army and of Sikh heritage. Ironically, she was killed by Sikh soldiers in uniform.'

Having worked with Gandhi closely during her last stint in power, Alexander feels that her image as an 'Iron Lady' was really an invention of people who never knew her. 'She was very safe and gentle. When a journalist famously described her she was the only man in the cabinet, she was outrageously angry as he thought the comment was very patronising.'


(Manish Chand can be contacted at manish.c@ians.in)


3 militants killed in separate gunfights in India-controlled Kashmir

 SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Three militants were killed in two separate gunfights with joint parties of Indian army and police in India-controlled Kashmir, defense officials Thursday said.
    Two militants were killed when a gunfight broke out Wednesday night at village Kataria Ban of Mendhar in Poonch, around 250 km northwest of Jammu, the winter capital of India-controlled Kashmir.
    "After receiving an intelligence input about presence of two hard core foreign militants in village Kataria Ban, our troops and special operation group of police launched a search operation. During the operation the militants were found hiding in a hut. An exchange of fire took place that continued until late night and two militants were killed,"said Lt. Col. Biplab Nath, defense spokesman based in Jammu.
    The militants have been identified as the cardres of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), said the defense spokesman.
    Meanwhile, another militant was killed in an encounter that broke out Thursday morning in Tangdhar-Kupwara, 130 km northwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir.
    "One militant was killed in Tangdhar area when our alert troops spotted him while trying to infiltrate in the region," said Lt. Col. J. S. Brar, defense spokesman based in Srinagar.
    Both the gunfights were reported at a time when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on a two-day visit to the region.

India to facilitate medical training to Maldives soldiers

Minister of Defense and national Security Ameen Faisal has said that an Indian Army medical college will facilitate Maldivian soldiers to train in the field of doctor, nurse and technicians.
This was revealed by India during Maldives Defense Minister Ameen Faisal’s ongoing visit to India. In his visit he met with Director General of Armed Forces’ Medical Service Lt. General MK Paama and Director General of Medical Service of the Army Lt. General SR Mehetha at the RNR hospital.
Minister of Defense Ameen Faisal also met with Indian Defence Minister AK Antony. At the meeting, discussions were held on ways of expanding defense cooperation between the two countries. Indian Defence Minister Anthony assured that his government will send the promised helicopter in sometime around November to establish an air wing in the Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF). He also said that the radar systems will be installed at different locations in Maldives this year to further maritime surveillance in the region. Minister Anthony also said that the Indian Army engineers will assist Maldives in conducting surveys to construct a bridge between Lh. Naifaru and Hinnavaru.

Earlier this year, following Indian Defence Minister AK Antony’s visit to Maldives, Minister Ameen said that India will provide all necessary assistance to establish a 25 bed military hospital in Male’ and will provide training to Maldivian doctors and paramedics working at the hospital.
Minister of Defense Ameen Faisal visit to India is from 27 – 31 October.

12 killed in Jaipur IOC depot fire, Army called

JAIPUR & NEW DELHI: A devastating fire swept through an Indian Oil fuel storage and distribution terminal on the outskirts of Jaipur on
Jaipur oil depot fire
Flames engulf a major oil depot in Jaipur. The blaze at the Indian Oil Corp facility in the desert state of Rajasthan swiftly spread out of control killing at least 12 people and injuring scores more, officials and emergency workers said. (AFP Photo)
Thursday, killing at least a dozen people and injuring more than 100. The toll is likely to go up as the blaze is still raging. At the time of going to press, all 12 tankers at the terminal were aflame. ( Watch Video )

Preliminary reports said the fire broke out after a pipeline valve failed when petrol was being transferred from the IoC terminal to Bharat Petroleum's storage nearby. D C Daga, director marketing of IoC, said the fire began with a leak in one of the tankers.

The Met department recorded a tremor measuring 2.3 on the Richter scale around the time the first explosion was heard at 7.36pm. Such was the impact of the explosions that windows of houses even 3km away were damaged. The capacity of the terminal is 80 lakh litres of fuel.

There were at least 40 IoC employees at the terminal, which is close to the Sanganer airport, and it isn't known how many of them have managed to escape. About 300 tourists from nearby Chowkidhani resorts were evacuated. Electricity lines in surrounding areas have snapped. Students living in nearby hostels have been taken to safer places.

All 31 fire tenders in Jaipur have been rushed to the spot and an expert from Mumbai has been contacted to fly down and help douse the fire. The terminal gets its supplies from IoC's Mathura refinery through pipeline and feeds part of the Rajasthan market.

The massive spillage of highly inflammable petrol being pumped at high pressure has resulted in heavy destruction. A team of IoC officials has rushed to Jaipur. Petroleum minister Murli Deora is expected to reach the spot on Friday morning. IoC officials said oil supply in the state would not be affected, and that another terminal at Jodhpur would be pressed into service.

J&K troop withdrawal starts

The Indian Army has begun withdrawing troops from the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir in a move that will meet a major demand of Kashmiri separatists.
The withdrawal of one division strength, around 15,000 troops, is being seen as a big confidence-building measure to get separatists, especially hardliner, on board for talks.
It is for the first time since militancy erupted in the state that such large numbers of troops are being moved out.
Officially, it is being called “relocation”, but the fact remains that the troops are moving out of the state.
When asked to confirm if soldiers of 39 division, or Dah division, were being withdrawn, Defence spokesman Lt Col Biplab Nath said, “These are operational matters and details cannot be divulged.”

What makes the move all the more significant is that the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch were brought under the Disturbed Area Act along with the Kashmir Valley in July 1990. Also, the security forces were given special powers under Armed Forces Special Powers Act around the same time.
The twin districts in south of Pir Panchal range of Himalayas are militancy-prone. With a 200-km stretch running along the Line of Control with the Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the area is vulnerable to infiltration as well.
When it was pointed out to Lt Col Nath that convoys were moving out of the mountainous belt of Pir Panchal, he said, “Certain elements of 39 division were being relocated, as per the periodical review of the security situation.”
On November 17, 2004, a week before he visited the state as the prime minister for the first time, Manmohan Singh had announced that the army's presence would be reduced. The troops begun to move out the day — November 24, 2004 — he landed in Srinagar. But, a spurt in terrorist violence and repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan brought the process to a halt.
Significantly, on Thursday, as the Prime Minister ended his two-day visit to the state, the troops begun to move out.
Two battalions — one each from Qazigund, 80 km from Srinagar in south Kashmir, and Handwara, 100 km from the state capital in north Kashmir, — were moved out of the state early this month.


Trained in India, to fight in Iraq

SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, Oct. 29: An Indo-US wargame that ended today in Uttar Pradesh helped retrain part of an American contingent that went into action in Iraq and will be redeployed in the war-ravaged country, scaling up the bilateral exercise that was originally projected as a peace-keeping drill.
Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 – the latest in a series of Indo-US drills that began in 2004 – involved the largest deployment of ground forces by the two countries for joint training. When the exercise began, the Indian Army officially stated that the scenario for the drill was that of joint operations for peace keeping under a United Nations’ mandate.
It was more or less expected that the US Army will begin using Indian military facilities and experience to train for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with the wargame.
But the scale of the drill was far deeper than initially thought. Within the first five days of the two-week drill, it quickly morphed into an armoured and infantry exercise involving para-dropping and securing urban settlements simulating environments in Iraq and Afghanistan with live firing. Forces led by the US had invaded Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) without specific UN mandates.
Around 250 soldiers from the US contingent – of the 2nd squadron 14 Cavalry -- pulled out of Iraq in April this year after a 15-month deployment. It is marked to re-deploy there in nine months.
Till April this year the squadron was based in Camp Taji, about 25km north of Baghdad, in a zone that is the most violent in Iraq. At least one of its soldiers, Sergeant Timothy P Martin, 27, was killed. He died in a blast from an improvised explosive device in August last year.
The drill with Indian mechanised forces in Babina – one of the Indian Army’s largest and most sophisticated training centres with a large field firing range– starts off a period of re-training for the US forces.
The exercise was witnessed by the chief of the US Army Pacific, Lt Gen Benjamin R. Mixon and India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A.S. Sekhon.
The trend among US-led coalition forces to use Indian military facilities to train for “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and “Operation Enduring Freedom” (Afghanistan) began in September 2007. But the drills have never involved as many soldiers, so much hardware and such massive firepower.
A unit of the British Royal Marines engaged Indian special forces in an exercise named “Himalayan Warrior” in Ladakh in September-October 2007.
The UK requested access to Indian military facilities in Ladakh and an exercise in that region because the dry desert terrain is similar to parts of Afghanistan. The British soldiers were also acclimatised at the Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Sonamarg.
Last October, the US army chief, General George Casey, was also escorted by Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor to Ladakh and to Indian army establishments in Kashmir and other Indian military facilities.
So far, army-level drills between the two countries involved companies (about a 100 troops in each company) or even smaller platoons. But the involvement has now been scaled-up several notches with Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09.
Just how seriously the Pentagon takes its exercises with the Indian military is indicated by the logistics that have gone into the Babina drill. It deployed 17 Strykers – the largest deployment of the multipurpose armoured vehicles outside Iraq and Afghanistan – that were shipped all the way from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where the unit is currently based, to Mumbai.
In Bombay, the Strykers, each weighing about 19 tonnes, were transported in sixteen-wheeler trucks to armoured corps base in Babina (that was started by the British with the acronym that stands for British Army Base in North India).
The Strykers and the US troops will now head back the same way for more training in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
“This exercise (Yudh Abhyas 09) is a ramp-up in training, as the unit prepares for larger pre-deployment training exercises such as those at the National Training Facility in California,” a US army statementsaid.
The US army contingent was hosted by the general officer commanding the Indian Army’s 31st armoured division, Maj Gen Anil Malik. The Indians deployed the 7th Mechanised Infantry for the drill.
The scale of the exercise involving armoured units – India’s Russian-origin BMP troop-carriers, its latest T-90 tanks and Dhruv helicopters – and the US Pacific Army chief’s comments invariably stoked interest once again on possible joint operations.
“This is all about training with the Indian army, to enhance relationships so that we gain a greater understanding of each other. That’s really what this is all about,” the general said. “India has a professional army. I will go with the Indian Army anywhere, anytime,” he added.
But beyond the show of power and battlefield skills, there was also a pitch for arms sales to India. The Stryker vehicle itself was closely watched by the Indian forces. It can be configured for several tasks – offensive, reconnaissance, communications and evacuations apart from troop carrying.
A senior official of the Pentagon’s defence sales branch also escorted executives of defence companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to Babina for the exercise. The US contingent demonstrated the fire-and-forget Javelin anti-tank missile, at least a generation ahead of the Milans that the Indians use. India is scouting the markets to stock up on anti-tank systems because the Indian Army still trains for scenarios of armoured warfare.
Indian soldiers were not allowed to drive the Stryker but some of them took shots at dead tanks with the missile.
The sleek shoulder-fired Javelin hones into its target without having to be guided to it. It is made by Raytheon.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091030/jsp/frontpage/story_11676885.jsp

Indian Army says Pakistan capitalising on ceasefire to strengthen defence

Major General K. Majumdar, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Indian Army's 10 Division has said that Pakistan is taking advantage of the ceasefire to strengthen its defence along the India-Pakistan border.
After attending an ex-serviceman rally, General Majumdar said that India was aware of the activities of Pakistan across the border, and counter measures were being taken.
Further he added that the war of wits is always on between the two nations and it would continue.
"There is no doubt that they are taking advantage of ceasefire to strengthen their defence, but we can't take any action unless there is ceasefire violation. We are doing our bit and they are doing their bit," said General Majumdar.
General Majumdar added that threat of infiltration is always there, but the Indian army is always vigilant to foil attempts of anti-national elements.
"There has always been a lurking threat. There have been attempts in the winters in our sector. Of these, people out of sheer desperation of not having been able to get through try and infiltrate places where they feel they can. However since the time we have got this fence on road, we have developed this fence. So this sort of threat to some extent has reduced. We need to be careful and eliminate any attempts by these antinational elements to get across LoC oblique the border," General Majumdar said.
Kashmir remains at the core of a six-decade-long conflict between India and Pakistan.
They fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. (ANI)

http://sify.com/news/Indian-Army-says-Pakistan-capitalising-on-ceasefire-to-strengthen-defence-news-jk3q4eceehf.html