PAC raps govt for import of kit to Siachen soldiers

For a country which fancies itself as an emerging superpower,and is working overtime to make long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear-powered submarines,it's acutely embarrassing that India is still not capable of manufacturing specialised clothing and equipment for its soldiers deployed in Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region. This despite Indian soldiers being stationed at world's highest, coldest and costliest battlefield right since 1984, when they beat Pakistani troops by a whisker to occupy glacial heights ranging from 16,000 feet to 22,000 feet. And they are not going to leave the forbidding region anytime soon, with India quite clear Siachen will remain "non-negotiable'' till Pakistan accepts clear-cut "authentication'' of the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), both on the map and on the ground.
The latest parliamentary public accounts committee report has blasted the government for failure to establish indigenous manufacturing capabilities for high-altitude gear, which is further compounded by gross irregularities in purchase of specialised clothing and mountaineering equipment from abroad. "The defence of nation is a non-negotiable national imperative and under no circumstances can commercial and economic considerations be allowed to compromise this foremost priority,'' it said. "The committee is dismayed to learn that a country which is capable of successfully launching satellites, manufacturing missiles and other state-of-the-art defence equipment is still struggling with the problem of a narrow vendor base,'' it added.

There is, of course, better infrastructure now in place at Siachen,ranging from Stromeyer tents to fibre-reinforced plastic huts,which has led to a decline in casualties. Soldiers, however, still have to constantly battle highaltitude pulmonary odema, cerebral odema, hypothermia, hypoxia and frostbite in the extremely tough terrain, where avalanches, blizzards and "white-outs'' are the norm. It's no wonder soldiers there are taught to "survive first and then fight''. They wear specialised clothing in layers to guard against the freezing temperatures,which can even dip to minus 60 degree Celsius. In all, each set for a soldier costs around Rs 1 lakh. Of the 55 authorised items, 19 critical items are still being imported. Apart from woollen socks, rucksacks and sleeping bags, these include 'outer shell parka' and the 'fibre-pile pant' from Finland (Rs 14,174 each), Swiss down jacket (Rs 9,093), Italian MP Scarpa boots (Rs 6,990) and French 'boot crampons'(Rs 6,990). Noting that there were 388 casualties in five years,the committee said,"The whole approach towards procurement appears casual. Neither quality nor timely availability of critical items is ensured, thereby compromising safety as well as comfort of troops deployed in the harsh climatic conditions.''
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(source-toi)