Army may be left with just seven firing ranges in 3 yrs
While over 60 per cent of the Army’s field firing ranges (FFRs) remain non-operational for training purposes due to non-notification by state governments, the number of such ranges is forecast to dwindle down to just seven in the next three years. According to official documents, there are 92 notified FFRs in the country, out of which notification for 57 ranges has expired. This figure was 54 two years ago. Non-availability of ranges has an adverse impact on training and operational preparedness as it restricts mechanised manoeuvres under simulated battle conditions as well as prevents live firing by tanks and artillery that is vital for battle inoculation of troops and testing equipment. This raised serious concerns in several quarters as it has a direct impact on national security. The situation with the Air Force too, is far from happy. Its seven ranges for firing air-to-ground munitions are severely constrained due to restrictions imposed by civilian air traffic as well as mushrooming habitation and industry around them. One of the important reasons attributable to the depleting number of FFRs is reported to be the clearances required to be obtained by state governments from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to permit use of forest land for non-forest activities in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and a Supreme Court judgment of 2002. At present, only four ranges are under active consideration of state governments for re-notification. The latest report by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence has stated that while the Ministry of Defence has launched a process of consultations with all stakeholders in order to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem, it is high time that the ministry initiated "expeditious and concrete steps" to resolve this issue in a time-bound manner. Besides notified ranges, where land is made available by the state government for specific periods, the Army has 12 "acquired" ranges, where the Defence Ministry owns the land. A comprehensive three-year study undertaken by a special task force some time ago had recommended that to meet the Army’s "bottom-line requirement", six ranges in various parts of the country be "acquired on priority". It had also recommended a long-term notification of some FFRs for a minimum period of 25 years. In fact, a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had revealed that inadequate critical infrastructure and facilities, including firing ranges and simulators, had compromised the training standards of recruits. These deficiencies, CAG observed, resulted in poor standards of firing of troops and non-achievement of excellence in battle-efficiency tests and physical-proficiency tests.
While over 60 per cent of the Army’s field firing ranges (FFRs) remain non-operational for training purposes due to non-notification by state governments, the number of such ranges is forecast to dwindle down to just seven in the next three years. According to official documents, there are 92 notified FFRs in the country, out of which notification for 57 ranges has expired. This figure was 54 two years ago. Non-availability of ranges has an adverse impact on training and operational preparedness as it restricts mechanised manoeuvres under simulated battle conditions as well as prevents live firing by tanks and artillery that is vital for battle inoculation of troops and testing equipment. This raised serious concerns in several quarters as it has a direct impact on national security. The situation with the Air Force too, is far from happy. Its seven ranges for firing air-to-ground munitions are severely constrained due to restrictions imposed by civilian air traffic as well as mushrooming habitation and industry around them. One of the important reasons attributable to the depleting number of FFRs is reported to be the clearances required to be obtained by state governments from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to permit use of forest land for non-forest activities in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and a Supreme Court judgment of 2002. At present, only four ranges are under active consideration of state governments for re-notification. The latest report by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence has stated that while the Ministry of Defence has launched a process of consultations with all stakeholders in order to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem, it is high time that the ministry initiated "expeditious and concrete steps" to resolve this issue in a time-bound manner. Besides notified ranges, where land is made available by the state government for specific periods, the Army has 12 "acquired" ranges, where the Defence Ministry owns the land. A comprehensive three-year study undertaken by a special task force some time ago had recommended that to meet the Army’s "bottom-line requirement", six ranges in various parts of the country be "acquired on priority". It had also recommended a long-term notification of some FFRs for a minimum period of 25 years. In fact, a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had revealed that inadequate critical infrastructure and facilities, including firing ranges and simulators, had compromised the training standards of recruits. These deficiencies, CAG observed, resulted in poor standards of firing of troops and non-achievement of excellence in battle-efficiency tests and physical-proficiency tests.
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