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6.8 earthquake hits Sikkim, tremors felt in parts of North India
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sandeepdg
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Minefield on border may have shifted
KOLKATA: Sunday's earthquake wreaked havoc at some locations in Sikkim that are not marked on civilian maps but are of tremendous strategic importance to the country. One of them is what the Army claims to be the world's highest battalion headquarters along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the northernmost tip of Sikkim.
It is located nearly 100km north of Mangan and very close to the epicentre. Located at an elevation of over 19,000 feet, it is simply known as Ring Contour to the Army. This is the base from where soldiers move to a location known just as Bunker at an altitude of over 20,000 feet and onwards to posts on the LAC.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this spot one of the most desolate places in the world. Bunker is a sort of tabletop, bang on the LAC. On a clear day, high-powered binoculars can pick up movement of vehicles across the sweeping plains beyond a white-painted boulder that serves as a border pillar. With summer temperatures dipping to -5 degrees Celsius (at daytime) and high winds that don't allow ice to settle on the ground, this could well be termed a wasteland.
Some of the outposts to which the soldiers move out from the Bunker are at altitudes higher than 20,000 feet and are little more than caves. It is still not clear whether all the patrols have been accounted for after the earthquake. The Army is tightlipped about the situation. However, sources said communication links to several bunkers and outposts have been cut off. "We can only say that our defences are intact," an officer said.
There is something else that can be a cause of concern to officers. The stony track that runs from the RC to the Bunker is flanked on either side by deadly minefields. The strips of barbed wire with skull-and-crossbones signs are the only indication of the lethal objects planted under the rocky ground.
The barbed wire is intentionally kept at a minimum to allow for a retreating Army to dismantle it fast. It is not known if the posts holding up the barbed wire survived the tremor. The earthquake may also have disturbed the rocky ground, thereby shifting location of the mines.
"We are still not paying much attention to these issues as the location is out of bounds for civilians. We are more concerned over the rescue operations now," an officer said.
Minefield on border may have shifted - The Times of India
KOLKATA: Sunday's earthquake wreaked havoc at some locations in Sikkim that are not marked on civilian maps but are of tremendous strategic importance to the country. One of them is what the Army claims to be the world's highest battalion headquarters along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the northernmost tip of Sikkim.
It is located nearly 100km north of Mangan and very close to the epicentre. Located at an elevation of over 19,000 feet, it is simply known as Ring Contour to the Army. This is the base from where soldiers move to a location known just as Bunker at an altitude of over 20,000 feet and onwards to posts on the LAC.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this spot one of the most desolate places in the world. Bunker is a sort of tabletop, bang on the LAC. On a clear day, high-powered binoculars can pick up movement of vehicles across the sweeping plains beyond a white-painted boulder that serves as a border pillar. With summer temperatures dipping to -5 degrees Celsius (at daytime) and high winds that don't allow ice to settle on the ground, this could well be termed a wasteland.
Some of the outposts to which the soldiers move out from the Bunker are at altitudes higher than 20,000 feet and are little more than caves. It is still not clear whether all the patrols have been accounted for after the earthquake. The Army is tightlipped about the situation. However, sources said communication links to several bunkers and outposts have been cut off. "We can only say that our defences are intact," an officer said.
There is something else that can be a cause of concern to officers. The stony track that runs from the RC to the Bunker is flanked on either side by deadly minefields. The strips of barbed wire with skull-and-crossbones signs are the only indication of the lethal objects planted under the rocky ground.
The barbed wire is intentionally kept at a minimum to allow for a retreating Army to dismantle it fast. It is not known if the posts holding up the barbed wire survived the tremor. The earthquake may also have disturbed the rocky ground, thereby shifting location of the mines.
"We are still not paying much attention to these issues as the location is out of bounds for civilians. We are more concerned over the rescue operations now," an officer said.
Minefield on border may have shifted - The Times of India
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Guys, thank you all for your concern. I was actually myself out of town and out of nation on some work. What's more, the site was down as I tried to access it. Was more worried about my relatives back home. Though nothing serious happened except some light cracks on our older house and a crack in the newer house's verandah steppings. A few guys living on the outer sides of our colony had suffered some injuries as their houses were maybe unfortunately not so strongly built, but we all united together and helped everybody until the military was deployed.
I feel sorry for those who died and couldn't make in time to be able to do my bit. Electricity and communication gone was a menace. Because of this, I was myself sleepless for 3 days until I could finally contact everyone concerned there. One of my very close friends was amongst those who got injured, but fortunately he's recovering and will be out of hospital anytime. Many people are in shock. I wanted to use Pawan Hans to get at one moment, but they won't let any civilian go there because of the state emergency and airspace thick with air force and army aircraft.
Since I have a reasonably large extended family, I keep traveling from one house to another and am on the move within the country as well. Call it a work-gained habit. Gangtok is moving back but Delhi is still my hometown.
I feel sorry for those who died and couldn't make in time to be able to do my bit. Electricity and communication gone was a menace. Because of this, I was myself sleepless for 3 days until I could finally contact everyone concerned there. One of my very close friends was amongst those who got injured, but fortunately he's recovering and will be out of hospital anytime. Many people are in shock. I wanted to use Pawan Hans to get at one moment, but they won't let any civilian go there because of the state emergency and airspace thick with air force and army aircraft.
Since I have a reasonably large extended family, I keep traveling from one house to another and am on the move within the country as well. Call it a work-gained habit. Gangtok is moving back but Delhi is still my hometown.
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Definitely. My sincere salutes to the heroes. Ultimately it is these heroes who come to our help rather than all those tinsel town ones. Looking at the video, I am wondering why wasn't Dhruv deployed in large numbers? Does NDRF have squadrons of Dhruvs? A Dhruv can accommodate 12-14 people or 8 injured in configuration setup. Why TF aren't more Dhruvs available free from Army duties to rescue agencies?
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If at all you could call stuff as development here. Most of the things in Gantok look better than many other cities in India is because we have lesser population city-wise making it easier, cleaner and comfortable to manage. I'd rate Chandigarh as the best place to reside if I had to bet.
