Siachen troops given poor gear: CAG

New Delhi : Twitter users on Tuesday vented their anger on the Centre after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in their audit report revealed that Indian troops based in the high altitudes of Siachen and Ladakh were facing critical shortages of clothing meant in those sub-zero temperatures and other equipment like snow goggles, boots, jackets and sleeping bags.

The CAG has said that there has been an acute shortage of high altitude clothing including snow goggles and boots for troops deployed in Siachen and Ladakh, forcing them to procure old and recycled versions.

They have also said that there was inadequate special ration for these soldiers, affecting their calorie intake by 82 per cent.

The CAG report paints a grim picture about the availability of crucial equipment and supplies personnel require to weather tough conditions — subzero temperatures, treacherous terrain — on high-altitude postings such as Ladakh and Siachen.

Between November 2015 and September 2016, a shortage of multipurpose boots, which can protect feet in temperatures of -55 degrees Celsius, forced personnel to opt for recycled boots, it said.

The report also flagged a shortage of 750 snow goggles on account of "poor supplies" from Ordnance Factory Dehradun.

Among other things, it alleged irregularities in the selection of "inferior" rucksacks that didn't meet specifications listed in the contract.

"Adopting test method by DGQA [Directorate General of Quality Assurance, under the Defence Ministry] different from contract provisions resulted in acceptance of inferior quality of rucksack," it stated.

Alleged irregularities were also flagged in the procurement of 31,779 "substandard sleeping bags" with old specifications at an extra cost of Rs 7.74 crore. Face masks procured for troops posted in extreme weather conditions were termed "substandard".

After this news came in the public domain, social media has been abuzz with reactions. A user wrote: "So, our jawans in #Siachen were low on rations and gear when you were busy cursing the #demonetisation queues."

Another wrote: "Government should look into this matter with utmost importance."

A post read: "Army jawans posted in Siachen forced to recycle snow boots due to acute shortage, there was a critical shortage (upto 98 per cent) of snow goggles too."

A Tweeple remarked: "Under this govt. our army has become a tool for election talks only. They don''t bloody care about the lives of the soldiers."