In the wake of attacks on Army camps, the Defence Ministry on Saturday sanctioned Rs 1,487 crore for strengthening perimeter security of such installations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East. There are more than 600 big and small camps in Kashmir. After the Pathankot airbase attack in 2016, the Philip Campose committee had recommended various steps to improve security of these installations.
Clearing the Rs 1,487-crore project for improving security of Army camps, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set a deadline of 10 months for the Army to carry it out. The Army headquarters was directed to monitor the implementation of the project, official sources said here. Perimeter security will be strengthened at Army bases under six commands, they added.
The armed forces, including the Army, the Navy and the IAF, last year had sought more than Rs 2,000 crore for strengthening perimeter security of their sensitive bases. There are more than 3,000 such installations, including 600 identified as sensitive by the three Services after the Pathankot airbase attack. The Government had formed a committee headed by former Army Vice-Chief Lt General Philip Campose to review security set-up of the bases and suggest ways to improve it.
The panel found gaping loopholes in the security set-up of many installations and submitted a report to then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in May, 2016.
Paucity of funds was one of the main reasons for the Army’s inability to secure its camps by installing high-tech gadgets, including electrified fences, night vision devices and radars. Campose, in his six-chapter report, urged speedy induction of modern technology such as Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs), electrification of the perimeter fence, and night vision devices for soldiers guarding the camps.
These proposed measures formed part of access-control, perimeter security-cum-intrusion detection systems and better Intelligence response mechanisms. Every camp in Kashmir for example needs at least Rs 1 to 2 crore for upgrading perimeter security, the report said.
In July last year, the Government delegated “substantial” financial powers to the Army, Navy and the IAF to strengthen perimeter security at sensitive military installations across the country. The Vice-Chiefs of the three services were empowered to place orders, procure equipment and carry out civil works without seeking approvals of the Defence Ministry.
Following the decision, each of the three Vice-Chiefs were allowed to spend at least Rs 800 crore annually in strengthening perimeter security at the sensitive bases.
The Defence Ministry said the move to give financial powers was aimed at expediting the decision-making process involved in the modernisation of the security apparatus of airbases and defence installations. “The financial delegation represents a significant jump in the powers currently exercised by the Services,” the Ministry said.
The Defence Ministry had also circulated broad guidelines based on the Campose report to the three Services and directed them to conduct an internal security audit to plug the gaps. Campose had also mooted extra financial allocation for improving the security of the Army camps.
In his report, Campose had also proposed an external audit of security of camps and installations. So far, the Services have not agreed to the audit, maintaining it should be left to them. Ensuring security of installations is the responsibility of the respective Services, be it airfields, Navy establishments or Army camps.
A proposal to raise a special unit of 20,000 retired but physically fit soldiers was also mooted for guarding the Defence installations. It is also under active consideration of the Government. The proposed unit will be part of the Defence Service Corps (DSC), which secures the Defence establishments all over the country. The Campose Committee recommended making available better version of AK-47 rifles instead of self-loading rifles (SLR) to the DSC teams besides fast moving vehicles, bulletproof jackets and night vision devices. The DSC recruits retired Services personnel.