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Addressing his annual press conference here
Jan 12 ahead of the Army Day to be celebrated
on Jan 15, Gen Singh was asked about his optimism
exactly a year ago on procuring at least one type
of artillery guns in 2011, which also did not
materialise.
"The procurement game is a version of snakes
and ladders where there is no ladder but only
snakes, and if the snakes bite you somewhere,
the whole thing comes back to zero," he said.
In the last 25 years, India has not bought even
a single gun after the then government of Rajiv
Gandhi was hit by an alleged pay-off scandal over
procurement of the Bofors guns.
All efforts by the Army to procure four types
of guns in the last few years have met with failures
and the latest effort to buy 145 ultra light howitzers
M777 from the BAE Systems stable through the foreign
military sales route from the US too is caught
up in red tape.
Asked about his assurance last year on inducting
artillery guns, Gen Singh said, "this time
it is not the snake which has bitten us, but there
is certain problem area that came up, certain
committee was made and certain things were referred
to the law ministry."
He also expressed the hope that the guns planned
for induction would come through soon.
"We have put in place a very comprehensive
and a very well thought out plan by which both
indigenous development, certain amount of acquisition
and certain amount of joint ventures have been
meshed together. So that in years to come we get
out of this type of the problem," he observed.
The Indian Army has expressed its intention of
buying four types of artillery guns, but has failed
to procure even one of them, including the 145
ultralight howitzers of 155mm 39 calibre guns
from the US for which efforts were initiated two
years ago.
Among the guns required by the Indian Army are
155mm 52 calibre towed guns numbering 1,180, another
180 155mm 52 calibre wheeled self propelled guns,
100 of 155mm 52 calibre tracked self propelled
guns, apart from the 145 ultra light howitzers.
These guns are required by the Army to replace
its 1970s vintage guns of 105mm, 122mm and 130mm
calibre.
(IANS)
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