[sacw] [ACT] IPARMW No 10 (27 Jan 00)

Harsh Kapoor act@egroups.com
Thu, 27 Jan 2000 01:33:37 +0100


India Pakistan Arms Race & Militarisation Watch. No 10
27 January 2000
__________________

[1.]

Asian Age
26 January 2000

Cartel, [India's] MoD inflate prices for profit
By Seema Mustafa

New Delhi: The government of India paid Rs 17,805 for a spare part for
the Indian Navy, a D(408)B Crystal worth just Rs 35. It paid Rs 11,192
for a Relay PEC-9 part worth Rs 95. It paid Rs 46,750 for a balancing
piston worth Rs 1,475.
These and other spare parts were purchased from a cartel including M/s
Makalu, M/s Machinery Sales Corporation and M/s HC Supplies. These are
figures supplied by Rear Admiral Suhas V. Purohit, assistant chief of
personnel, to the Delhi high court through a writ petition filed by him
in the Delhi high court against the Union of India and the Chief of
Naval Staff last week.
The lengthy petition, complete with documents, seeks the court's
intervention in ensuring Rear Admiral Purohit's promotion to the rank of
Vice-Admiral, stating that this "has been held arbitrarily and illegally
thereby infringing his fundamental rights."
Gross corruption surrounds defence deals, all which are reportedly
negotiated by the ministry of defence through middlemen and middle
companies. Crores of rupees are lost to the nation each year as rules
are bent or openly flouted to encourage cartels, float and finalise
hasty tenders, purchase similar items at different rates, and procure
spares at exorbitant prices.
"Financial impropriety in defence deals with the active participation
and collusion of bureaucrats both from the administrative and financial
services has got highlighted in major arms procurement deals. While HDW
and Bofors may be more glaring due to the capital expense aspect,
similar activities pertaining to revenue expenditure can be and are far
more damning, more difficult to identify and very nearly impossible to
put right without the active support of the entire system," wrote Rear
Admiral Suhas V. Purohit, assistant chief of personnel, to the Chief of
Naval Staff in May last year. This letter now forms part of the
annexures submitted with his petition.
Other items that give an indication of the kind of money being paid by
the ministry of defence to middle companies include Lower Cover
383-1-38, which costs Rs 1,475 and was purchased for the Navy for Rs
38,725; Contact 8BC-553-005, which has a departmental price of Rs 145
and was sold to India for Rs 7,755; LO Pressure Cut out (M) CT 1.5A,
which cost the country Rs 27,876 against the original price of Rs 608;
and SN-23 Pump (Complete) which was sold to the government for Rs
20,82,556 as against its departmental price.
After the government ban on HDW it had, according to Rear Admiral
Purohit's annexures, "passed its product support obligations to a
company called Marlog. This entity is owned 50 per cent each by HDW and
a steel maker Ferrostal. Prior to the procurement of spares for the
mid-life refit of Shishukumar being taken up, all SSK spares
procurements were limited to a single source, namely M/s Marlog. The
Navy actually had no contractual obligation to procure spares only from
M/s Marlog, yet every effort to forestall open tender enquires were made
by the vested interests."
According to figures submitted before the court, M/s Marlog cited
quotations far in excess of similar prices quoted by the company itself
earlier. For example, within two years it had hiked the price of a
piston rod of Rs 626 to Rs 98,420 and of a valve cover seat ring from Rs
436 to Rs 7,539.
Shedding more light on the corruption involved, Rajya Sabha MP Jayant
Malhotra, who is also a member of the consultative committee for the
ministry of defence, said in Parliament in the last session, "I am not
alleging the presence of middlemen. I am charging that there is no
defence deal without the presence of middlemen, agents, traders and
middle companies." He named, on the record, a number of businessmen.
Mr Malhotra, while initiating a debate on defence procurements in the
Upper House, went on to say, "We have political facilitators also. The
agent may get two, five or eight per cent but the facilitator may get 25
to 30 per cent."
______________

[2.]
Jane's Defence Weekly
Vol 33 No 4
26 January 2000

Bofors FH-77BD for Indian trials
Bofors Weapons Systems of Sweden is expected to send the prototype of
its 155mm/45calibre FH-77BD (6 x 6) self-propelled artillery system to
India for extensive fire power and mobility trials in May.

______________

[3.]
The News International
25 January 2000

India to use Israeli 'catwire' to fence border with Pakistan

By Amir Mateen

WASHINGTON: India is fortifying its security along border with Pakistan
by an Israeli electronic "catwire" fencing system.

The sophisticated catwire system, which proved effective at Israel's
borders, particularly at the Golan heights, ensures extra alertness
without having to deploy additional manpower. Any movement within a
range of 25 km triggers a signal which allows time for the guards to
respond.

This may also have been one of the top agenda items of the now cancelled
visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's to Israel last
week. Reports from the Indian media suggest this latest gadget will be
put up on the border all the way from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujrat
through Punjab and Rajisthan. There were earlier reports of India
putting up barbed wire on the disputed Line of Control. Reports,
however, say officials are not in favour of using the catwire on the LoC
at this stage.

The project was approved by none other than Indian Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee in a recent meeting that discussed the troubling
situation on the Indian borders, particularly in Kashmir. Indian
strategists think this fence might solve India's problems, recently
compounded by the discovery of many tunnels along the border with
Pakistan.

A report in The Telegraph, reproduced here in a local Indian paper, said
since infiltrators from Pakistan were again using clandestine border
routes to enter Punjab and to some extent Rajisthan, the new hi-tech
fencing system may come in handy for the entire border security
mechanism. It quotes defence sources as saying that the catwire might
enable India to reduce its security forces from Punjab and Rajisthan and
deploy them on the LoC where there is a shortage of manpower.

The report further said the recent Vajpayee-Advani meeting also decided
to raise fresh Central paramilitary forces for deployment in Kashmir.
"In (East) Punjab, there is already a fencing system that had been put
in place during the eighties. But the fence does not cover the entire
border, though at the more vulnerable zones it has the touch alarm
system," says the report. "As soon as anybody touches the fence at these
zones, an alarm goes off and the forces rush in to prevent infiltration.
But this system has not been made functional at all points and there are
several clandestine routes in the state through which the 'infiltrators'
sneak in," it adds.

Indian strategists, however, belive it would not be an easy task to
extend the catwire on the LoC, given Pakistani resistance and the
ever-going fire exchange between the forces of the two countries.
Experts, moreover, think the Indian fencing is becoming severer than the
one between the East and the West during the cold war in Europe.
______________
[4.]

India Arms Trade Bibliography
http://www.cdi.org/ArmsTradeDataBase/Regional_and_Country_Information/ASIA/S=
outh
_Asia/INDIA/India_Arms_Trade_Bibliography.txt

http://www.cdi.org/ArmsTradeDataBase/Regional_and_Country_Information/ASIA/S=
outh
_Asia/INDIA/
10/28/97 11:23 AM 7596 Focus_on_Technology_Transfer,_New_Weapons.txt
10/28/97 11:29 AM 5730 India,_Russia_To_Boost_Military_Ties.txt
10/28/97 11:22 AM 4225
India,_South_Africa_To_Step_Up_Defense_Ties.txt
5/28/98 6:59 PM 3589
India_biggest_buyer_of_SAfrican_arms_in_1997.txt
2/21/97 1:23 PM 949
Indian_Flyers_Have_Left_for_Russia_to_Train_in_Operating_the_SU-30.txt
6/18/97 12:07 PM 8326 India--Russian_Weapons_Poor_Quality.txt
5/20/98 1:09 PM 3641
Kazakhs_Say_India_Wants_to_Buy_40_Old_MiG_Fighters.txt
11/12/97 1:42 PM 1232 Lockheed_Martin_supplies_Simfire_to_India.t=
xt
8/6/97 8:30 AM 15010 Money!_Guns!_Corruption!.txt
5/28/98 6:47 PM 2646
New_Batch_of_Russian_Fighters_for_India--1999.txt
1/20/98 10:16 AM 2046 PM_sees_bid_to_scuttle_Bofors_probe.txt
6/18/97 11:24 AM 2955 Report_Condemns_Arms_Drop_'Foul-Up'.txt
1/13/98 3:04 PM 3744
Russia_and_India_Will_Jointly_Develop_New_Weapon_System.txt
1/16/98 3:06 PM 1318
Russia_Navy_Chief_Leaves_for_India_to_Discuss_Cooperation.txt
9/16/97 12:24 PM 3868 Russia_To_Update_India's T-72_Tanks.txt
6/18/98 8:35 AM 3318 Russia_unveils_SU-30_MK_built_for_India.txt
10/28/97 11:18 AM 4044
Russia--Long_Term_Cooperation_With_India,_China.txt
6/18/97 9:52 AM 2409
Russians_and_Czechs_Vie_For_Military_Contract_With_India.txt
2/21/97 10:57 AM 3038 SA-12_Giant_for_India.txt
__________

[5.]

Indian Air Force Bases

Airbase Locale Squadron No. Command Aircraft AC #
Adampur Jullundur No.101 Western MiG-21M
16
No.223 Western MiG-29A/C/UB 18
No.224 Western MiG-23MF/UM 16
No.220 Western MiG-23BN 16
Agra No.44 Central IL-76MD Gajraj
No.2 Target Central Canberra B(I) Mk.8
No.106 Central HAL HS 748

Canberra PR Mk.57
No.12 Central An-32 Sutlej
Paratroop School Training
An-32 Sutlej
Allahabad HQ Central Air Command Central
Ambala No.23 Western MiG-21bis 16
No.24 Western MiG-21bis
No.5 Western Jaguar
IS/IB 16
No.14 Western Jaguar
IS/IB 16
Bagdogra No.8 Eastern MiG-21FL 16
Bakshi-Ka-Talab Bareilly No.102 Central MiG-25R/U
No.35 Central MiG-21M &
Canberra PR Mk.57
Bangalore HQ Training Command Training
Begumpet Navigation & Signals School Training HAL Hs.748
Bidar Air Force Academy Training
HJT-16 Kiran I
Chabuha Jorhat No.29 Eastern MiG-27ML
18
Chandigarh Chandigarh No.48 Western An-32 Sutlej
No.21 Western
Mig-21bis 16
No.3 Base Repair Depot Maintanence Mil Mi-8/17
No.25 Western
IL-76MD Gajraj
No.15 Western
Mig-21bis 16
Coimbatore No.5 Base Repair Depot Maintanence Various aircraft
Dundigal Air Force Academy Training
HJT-16 Kiran IA
Gauhati No.41 Eastern HAL
Do 228
No.33 Eastern
An-32 Sutlej
Ghandhinagar HQ South Western Air Command South Western
Gorakhpur No.16 Central Jaguar IS/IB 16
No.27 Central
Jaguar IS/IB 16
Gwalior No.11 Central HAL
Hs.748
No.7 Central
Mirage 2000H/TH
No.1 Central
Mirage 2000H/TH
Hakimpet Air Force Academy Training
HJT-16 Kiran II,
Helicopter Training School Training HAL Cheetah,
HAL Chetak
Halwara No.221 Western
MiG-23BN 16
No.31 Western
MiG-23BN 16
Hashimara No.222 Eastern MiG-21FL 16
No.22 Eastern
MiG-27ML 18
Hindan No.9 Western MiG-27ML
18
No.2 Western
MiG-27ML 18
No.18 Western
MiG-27ML 18
HQ - Delhi Delhi Air Headquarters Headquarters
Jaisalmer No.4 South Western
MiG-21bis 16
No.32 South Western
MiG-27ML 18
Jamnagar No.51 South Western MiG-27ML & MiG-21M 18
Combat Development Training Various fighter aircraft
Jodhpur No.10 South Western
MiG-27ML 18
No. 226 South
Western MiG-23MF/UM 16
Jorhat No.49 Eastern
An-32 Sutlej
No.43 Eastern
An-32 Sutlej
Kalaikunda No.20 Eastern MiG-27ML
18
Lohagaon Pune No.28 South Western MiG-29A/C/UB 18
No.1 Target South Western
Canberra B(I) Mk.8
No.47 South Western
MiG-29A/C/UB 18
No.6 South
Western
Jaguar IM

Canberra B(I) Mk.8
No.24 South Western
Su-30K 8
Nagpur HQ Maintanence
Command Maintanence
Palam Delhi Government Flight Headquarter Learjet 29
HQ Western Air Command Western
No.50 Western
Dornier Do-228
PegasusSquadron Headquarters Boeing 737,
HAL HS.748
Palam Charbatia AR Centre, RAW Headquarters An-32 Sutlej, Gulfstream, IAI

Astra, Boeing 707
Pathankot No.3 Western MiG-21bis 16
Shillong HQ Eastern Air Command Eastern
Tambaram Flying Instructors School Training
HPT-32 Deepak
No.19 Southern
An-32 Sutlej
Tezpur No.30 Eastern MiG-21FL
16
MiG Training Training
MiG-21Fl/U/UM/US 16
Tiruvanathpuram HQ Southern Air
Command Southern
Tughlakabad No.7 Base Repair
Depot Maintanence
Various helicopters
Yelahanka Bangalore Air Force
Academy &
Aircraft Testing Training
Various

aircraft

Sources:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/india/facility/airbase/index.html
IAF Squadrons 1998

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