Rs 800 crore to improve security of military stations

The Ministry of Defence has authorised the vice chiefs of the army, air force and navy to spend close to Rs 800 crore to improve the perimeter security of military stations without any ministerial approval.

The unprecedented move came after almost one-and-a-half-year of the Pathankot terror attack when armed militants sneaked inside a forward IAF base killing eight people and injuring 20 others. Subsequently, several other military bases like Uri, Nagrota and Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir experienced terror attacks.

“The vice chiefs of the three services have been empowered to place orders, procure equipment and carry out civil works related to the perimeter security of sensitive military installations without further seeking approvals of the defence ministry,” a ministry spokesperson said.

This would translate to approximately Rs 700-800 crore work of orders for each of the three services, sources said.

The step has been taken to expedite the decision-making process involved in the modernisation of the security apparatus of air bases and defence installations.

The financial delegation represents a significant jump in the powers currently exercised by the services. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, sources said, asked the three services to fix strict timelines to ensure that the works are undertaken on priority and in a time-bound manner to secure the critical defence assets.

Following the Pathankot attack, the ministry set up an expert panel under the chairmanship of former army vice chief Lt Gen Philip Campose to look into the loopholes in perimeter security of military stations and forward bases.