Centre orders massive security cover for all defence establishments

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 11: Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said today that the Government has thrown a massive security cover around defence establishments all over the country with deployment of Defence Security Corps, Central Industrial Security Forces, civilian security staff, ex-servicemen and private security agencies.
A massive security ring around all defence establishments in the country was necessitated in view of terror threats. There had been specific Intelligence inputs that the militants could attempt to target the defence establishments in the country.
Jaitley was responding to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The defence establishments, where security has been further enhanced, included Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factories, DRDO establishments, buildings/offices etc.
“Close Circuit Televisions, Access Control Systems, Surveillance Systems, X-Ray baggage scanners and under vehicle scanning systems are being used for security of defence establishments,’’ Jaitley said.
He added that review of counter sabotage measures is being undertaken regularly based on security threats and Intelligence inputs received from various agencies.
“Based on these reviews, upgradation of counter sabotage measures in terms of technology and manpower is carried out. Rehearsals and inspection to validate the existing counter sabotage measures are also carried out regularly,’’ Jaitley, who happens to be the Finance Minister but holds additional charge of the Defence Ministry, said.
It may be mentioned here that the Government of India has ordered heightened security for all defence establishments across the country following specific inputs provided by the Intelligence agencies that the militants could try to target them.
Sources said the Government has taken extra ordinary security measures for all defence establishments across the country. An advisory has also been issued to all such establishments and their staff asked to follow do’s and don’ts. However, they added, the militants wouldn’t succeed in their designs in view of strengthening of security arrangements by the Government of India around all defence establishments.
Jaitley said the case for procurement of Ultra-Light Howitzer (ULH) guns from United States has not progressed due to cost issues and because the vendor has not been able to come up with a proposal fully compliant to the offset requirements.
The ULH guns are smaller and 42 per cent lighter, at under 4,100 kg. Most of the weight reduction is due to the use of titanium in it. The lighter weight and smaller size allows the ULH guns to be transported by small helicopters or trucks with ease so that they can be moved in and out of the battlefield more quickly. The smaller size also improves storage and transport efficiency in military warehouses and Air/Naval transport.
The Defence Minister said his Ministry was continuously pursuing upgradation and modernization of Ordnance factories by providing them requisite funds on annual basis. He added that during current financial year of 2014-15, the Centre has kept allocation of Rs 1661.71 crores for upgradation and modernization of Ordnance factories as compared to Rs 1157.92 crores in the previous financial year of 2013-14.
He said a series of measures have been taken by the Defence Ministry for safety of employees of Ordnance Factories which included providing personal protective equipments to individual employees engaged in hazardous operations, implementation of Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety guidelines in storage and transportation of explosives in Ammunition Filling and Explosive factories, regular training of employees on various aspects of safety, participative management in promoting safety and regular monitoring of implementation of safety measures through Safety Audit.
“A few cases of defects in defence equipments manufactured indigenously by Ordnance Factories have been reported by the User, which include operational difficulty in use of equipment and accidents while using the ammunition and weapons. The defects are addressed through a structured mechanism and corrective steps are taken to avoid such problems in future,’’ the Defence Minister said.
Jaitley said there was no proposal with the Government to revamp the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) to make them capable for developing advance weapons systems.
“The DPSUs have a strategy for strengthening their capabilities for producing and supplying various weapon system and platforms required by Defence forces within the agreed timeframe. Some of the DPSUs have also collaborated with DRDO and other R&D institutions in this regard. With the objective of achieving self-reliance in defence production, the Ordnance Factories and DPSUs have been continuously modernizing and upgrading their capabilities and widening their product range,’’ he said.
He added that adequate resources have been made available by the Government to DRDO for carrying out research and development works. The Government continuously monitors the capacity utilization of DPSUs and emphasis is given for augmentation and modernization of their capacities to meet growing demand of arms forces, he said.

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