Shillong: Army Chief designate Lt Gen V K
Singh today hinted at demilitarisation in the northeast,
saying the situation in the region now was "very good".
Asserting that 'militarisation' was a wrong word to
use, Singh said, "If there is trouble, army is called for
assistance. If the army is not required, they are told to move
out to different areas.
"If the states don't require any operation to be done,
we have our own cantonments and training to be done," he told
PTI.
Asked whether there would be demilitarisation in the
region with more and more militant groups announcing
ceasefire, he said "Obviously, the situation (in the region)
now is very good. If things become normal, what you see today, things will be in a different manner."
On reports of Maoist-ULFA nexus, Lt Gen Singh,
currently the Eastern Army commander and senior-most infantry officer, said, "We have no such input."
He called on Meghalaya Governor R S Mooshahary in a
courtesy visit.
Singh meets Arunachal CM, Governor
Singh today called on Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen (Retd) J
J Singh and Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.
Gen Singh, a former Army Chief, congratulated Lt Gen V
K Singh on being designated as the 24th Chief of Army Staff
and extended his best wishes for a successful tenure.
Sharing his experiences as the Governor in the last
two years, Gen Singh said that the Army has done good
humanitarian service in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Governor urged upon the designated Army Chief to
take leading role in giving impetus to infrastructure
development in this frontier region.
The chief minister discussed the raising of the first
battalion of Arunachal Scout which has been sanctioned by the
Centre and the development of army infrastructure in the
border state.
Lt Gen Singh reviewed the situation in Tirap and
Changlang districts placed under the Armed Forces Special
Power Act because of activities of militants from neighbouring
states and expressed satisfaction over improvement of
situation in the two districts.
-PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 23:03