Indian Air Force plugging gaps to thwart Chinese threat

With China lurking in the backyard, the Indian Air Force is desperately trying to fill the “voids and gaps” in the eastern theatre, while Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today saying attention was not paid to this vital sector.

This is the first time an Air Chief has candidly admitted about India’s fixation on the western sector, vis-a-vis Pakistan and the years of attention-deficit on the eastern sector.

He said the country was “concentrating on the western sector” and as such the “eastern sector didn’t get the attention,” so vital for the country’s security.

“We have voids and gaps in the our capabilities in the eastern sector,” Air Chief Marshal Raha said at the end of the two-day Commanders’ Conference at the Eastern Air Command (EAC) headquarters here.

What is worrying is the rapid infrastructure build-up of China for years now along India’s border, especially along Arunachal Pradesh. Civil airports have been integrated with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force for swifter combat capabilities. New airfields built and other modern infrastructure and equipment are already in place to give support to the Chinese men at the frontline.

But the good news is that after 60 odd years, India is finally going full steam to develop the eastern sector. The Air Chief said the EAC’s area of responsibility is one of the largest amongst other commands of the Air Force. So now a number of initiatives have been undertaken to develop it.

One of the gaps of this sector is the connectivity and also the ageing fleet of the IAF. Air Chief Marshal Raha said several Advance Landing Grounds are being built in the northeast and eastern India. Some of the other initiatives include building of hangars and “assets” that would enhance the maneuvering capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

“We are upgrading our infrastructure and equipments in the eastern sector,” the Air Chief said. Moreover, there are induction plans for new fleet.

He said the country "urgently" requires new generation fighter aircrafts and the induction of 36 Rafale fighter jets, once the deal is finalized with France, would “fill some void” in the Air Force.

Commenting on the Tejas, which is being built indigenously, the Air Chief, said, the Tejas "may not be the best in the world" in its category, but their induction would also help the Air Force.

He said, in the next 15 years the Air Force’s ageing fleet comprising the MIGs, Jaguars and Mirage have to be replaced and therefore the “Make in India” initiative would go a long way in bridging this gap.

BIRDS GET THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT IN KHASI HILLS, MEGHALAYA

An East Khasi Hills district administration order has become the “wind beneath the wings” of birds and now they have their “fundamental right” to fly.

The district has become one of the few places where keeping or selling caged birds has become an offense, after Friday's  notification. With the order, the birds are gone, so too the sellers from marketplaces such as Police Bazaar and others.

East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, PS Dkhar said there has been no violation of the order till today. “We would be strictly following it,” he stated.

The decision of the district administration here was based on the 2010 Gujarat and 2015 Delhi High Court rulings. The Delhi High Court ruling said: “Birds have fundamental rights, including the right to live with dignity and they cannot be subjected to cruelty by anyone…They deserve sympathy.”

Many children are fond of keeping birds as pets. Several individuals and organizations across the globe term such pet-keeping cruel and have been counseling, especially, parents to encourage their kids to take home some other animal as a pet.

Some of the birds that are found in the markets places here come from different places of the State and country with diverse conditions, related to their habitat. So many perish in cages, when trapped and translocation.

Dkhar feels that not just the administration, but also individuals and NGOs should report or file FIR against violation of the order. Violators would be punished under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Dkhar said, “We somehow feel good after the notification was passed” - guess  the feel-good factor is more in the birds !

APJ ABDUL KALAM - A TRIBUTE

The "People’s President." Had the fortune to meet APJ Abdul Kalam as a journalist on several occasions – a superb human in my book.

Trust is something that does not come easy these days. It, however, was something our President was full of. As a President, he was entitled ZZ+ category security. He came one fine summer at the Raj Bhavan in Shillong, journalists like us were mesmerized with his simplicity and hairstyle!

After the occasional meeting, Kalam sat for a press conference - a rarity for Presidents. He answered questions. And thereafter, some usual suspects asked for a photo-op with the President. What audacity! The security went into hyper tizzy. Of course the entire journalist fraternity was accredited. This meant they were security-checked thoroughly.  

The security which involved the venerable President’s guards shooed every one saying nothing doing and moved the entire happy journalist out of the President’s way.

But, that is where Kalam came in. He asked the guards to move out and sat for a group photo with the journalists from Shillong and Guwahati. It was tensed photo opportunity, but journalists had the biggest smile! 

Kalam was also a President to give one-on-one interview with reporters. I was fortunate to have taken one with the President when he was in office.

One of the nicest quotes he said was when he eulogized "God as a great designer." He added that while Venus was a hot boiling mass and Mars was cold uninhabitable planet, “ earth was put in a suitable orbit … and blessed” so that life could sustain here.

That came from a man of science. Kalam to me was a man who gave equal leeway to science and faith.

In India faith runs deep. A large section of the people believe in faith, be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism you name it and people of a particular faith would stand up.

Kalam, though a scientist, did not disregard this populace and gave credence which is highly creditable. Moreover, Kalam a Muslim by birth could quote the Gita or the Bible or any religious text  – that’s secular.

All the students at IIM, Shillong would have gained a wealth of wisdom through the lectures of the president. He dedicated himself till he could no longer stand on his feet, but India stood tall because of this Great Man.

As someone who was born after Independence and not having the fortune to meet some of the greats, Kalam was someone we can be proud of post Independence, who epitomized India as a country of diverse race, religion,   ethnicity. We have seen Him, only question is: “can we live Him?”