Of Matters Military. Mrinal Suman
task without any external help. After visiting both the shafts, he told Col Dhingra, “I knew it was a tough assignment but can appreciate its magnitude only after this visit. You have amazed me. You must be a very proud commanding officer. Do you realise that your unit is writing the history of India.” Col Dhingra conveyed the Chief ’s words to both the shaft commanders.
Visits by the scientists became more frequent. Things were moving fast. The atmosphere was charged with excitement. Trial with mock-ups was seen by us as an affirmative sign. We were upbeat and thought that the tests were imminent – it was a question of ‘any day’. However, it was not to be. We waited for days and weeks without the much-awaited bang. With great disappointment, we learnt that the government had decided not to go ahead with the tests. It was ruled that the shafts be maintained and dewatered regularly with submersible pumps, awaiting another opportune moment for the tests.
Our regiment had been in the desert for over three years. We were asked to hand over the maintenance of the completed shafts to another regiment. Various regiments continued with the maintenance till 1998 when they were finally put to nuclear tests. We learnt of the tests with immense pride but somewhere down in our hearts there was a tinge of disappointment. We were not destined to be a part of the historical event.
Sinking the shafts of over 600 feet depth, lining the walls and preparing side chambers in such a compressed time frame had been a monumental achievement. The world over, the average rate of sinking shafts with ‘drill and blast’ method is pegged at 3 feet per week by the professional companies possessing decades of experience, consummate expertise and latest equipment. We, the soldiers of 113 Engineer Regiment, had no experience, no knowledge and no equipment. We did struggle initially but our perseverance helped us overcome all challenges. It was an unparalleled feat by all standards.
According to the information available in public domain, no country in the world has ever asked its army engineers to dig deep shafts for the nuclear tests. As India has declared self-imposed moratorium on nuclear tests, need for deep shafts will never arise again. In other words, the feat of 113 Engineer Regiment will remain unequalled. As General Krishna Rao had stated, 113 Engineer Regiment contributed to the history of India: a unique distinction indeed. The regiment has deservingly earned the appellation “Shaft Sinkers to the Nation”.
Army’s Aid to the Railways Raised ManyEyebrows
September 29, 2017 will long be remembered for the tragic death of 23 people in a stampede on a narrow foot-over-bridge (FoB) connecting Elphinstone Road and Parel suburban railway stations in Mumbai. Consequent to the national outrage, the railway authorities woke up to the requirement of having newer FOBs at several suburban stations with wider pathway to handle large rush-hour crowds. Three stations (Elphinstone Road-Parel, Currey Road & Ambivali Road) were identified to be in immediate need of FOBs.
As time was of the essence, the Railway Minister wanted the said FoBs to be built expeditiously. The railway engineers wanted more time. Hence, a request was made to the defence ministry. As is its wont, the army never shies away from challenges, especially when the well-being of the countrymen is impacted. Although the army possesses no expertise in such civil works and the construction had to be carried out without disrupting movement of the suburban trains, the onerous task was readily undertaken by the elite Bombay Sappers located at Pune.
Although plans for FoB at the Elphinstone Road station were approved in 2015, it was only the September tragedy that galvanised the somnolent engineering department to initiate call for bids. Therefore, many felt that it was the disappointment of the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal with his own ministry’s functioning that forced him to make such a request to the defence ministry. Worse, failure of the railway engineers to accept the challenging time-bound assignment is seen by many to be indicative of their lack of self-confidence.
As expected, a major row broke out. Political parties were quick to jump into the fray to fault the government. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted, “The army’s job is to train for war, not to be used for civilian works... It will set a very bad precedent.” Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah commented, “The army was to be a measure of last resort to be called upon in extreme emergency. Now it seems like it’s the 1st number on the speed dial.”
For asking the army to construct FoBs, the government has been faulted on two counts – one, misusing the army for civilian tasks, and two, for showing lack of confidence in the concerned civilian agency (railways). Similar questions were raised when the army was tasked to construct a foot bridge at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Commonwealth Games at Delhi in 2010. The need arose as the under-construction bridge collapsed a few days before the start of the games. The army completed the task in five days.
Role and Responsibility of the Army
Most social scientists consider army to be the nerve centre of the state, being the most ancient, vital and hierarchy based of all human organisations. In fact, it is considered to be the embodiment of a nation’s conscience and will. It is the most potent instrument available to the state to safeguard national security. It cannot fail the nation. Therefore, its role assignment deserves in-depth appraisal and due deliberation. Indian army’s responsibilities can be grouped under the following three broad heads:-
(a)Military Tasks. In addition to defending the nation against external threats, it is also called upon to counter insurgent movements that pose grave internal threat. Whereas insurgency is a socio-political problem, an effective counter-insurgency operation has to be based on an integrated politico-military approach. In order to create conducive environment for the initiation of the political process, the army has to bring the level of violence down to the expedient level.
(b)Aid to Civil Authority. Aid to civil authority is mandated by law. Under Para 301 of the Defence Services Regulations, the tasks that can be assigned in aid to civil authority include maintenance of law and order; maintenance of essential services; assistance during natural calamities such as earthquakes and floods; and any other type of assistance which may be needed by the civil authorities. As can be seen, the last one is an open ended provision. It must be mentioned here that when called upon to aid the civil authority, the army has to respond; it has no discretion in the matter.
(c)Civic Action Tasks. These are tasks that the army undertakes in the larger national interests. They encompass all activities performed by the army for the socio-economic betterment of the people and to help improve its image. In areas where civil institutions are non-functional, the army runs schools, provides basic medical cover, runs water supply schemes, constructs play grounds and provides vocational training to the local youth. These activities are collectively referred to as civic action programmes.
Launching of FoB at Elphinstone Road
Quite understandably, role-assignment under aid to civil authority is country specific as every country has to countenance dissimilar geo-political-strategic environment. For example, in the developing countries, aid to civil authority in the maintenance of law and order is by far the commonest and most critical assignment. After centuries of deprivation and exploitation, disadvantaged segments of the society agitate for an equitable distribution of resources. Every agitation inevitably results in violence and the army is summoned to help maintain order.
Further, there are certain services whose efficient and uninterrupted functioning is necessary for the nation and the society at large. The army with its large pool of highly disciplined and trained manpower is often summoned to run these essential services in times of their break-down.
Assistance during disasters and natural calamities is another common form of aid to civil authority. Every earthquake or flood sees army soldiers carrying out rescue and rehabilitation tasks.