India welcomes Pakistan's call to demilitarise Siachen glacier

Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju on Thursday welcomed Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's call for both nations to demilitarise the world's highest battlefield at the Siachen glacier on their international border.

Pallam Raju said that maintaining the high-altitude battlefield was a massive economic strain on both countries, and a mutual decision to demilitarise would ensure that the funds hitherto spent on Siachen would be put to better use.

"I am glad that our neighbouring country Pakistan is also realising the challenges of, and the economic problems of maintaining troops on the Siachen glacier. They have their concerns, we have our concerns, but it does definitely take an economic toll. This money can be better spent on the development of both countries," he told the media in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, former Indian army official, Lieutenant-General (retd) PN Hoon, echoing similar sentiments said that Siachen notched more soldier casualties due to its environment than due to actual combat.

"Our troops that have been there have been through hell, much more than the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army (has suffered) because of the avalanche, so have we. The casualties out of 100, they will be 70 casualties, which are for bad weather, high altitude and avalanches, and only 30, which are for (combat). We are spending also. We are spending 6-7 crores a day. Have we become such rich nations today?" Lieutenant-General (retd) Hoon told the media in Chandigarh.

Pakistan's army chief had earlier on Wednesday made a call for the demilitarisation of the world's highest battlefield after touring the site of an avalanche that buried 129 Pakistani soldiers near the border with India.

Noting that withdrawal of troops from Siachen is necessary to improve 'atmosphere', he said 'the issue' needs to be resolved by Pakistan and India.

Indian and Pakistani troops have been engaged in a standoff on Siachen since 1984.

Great friends

Great friends

“Give back the forest, take your town.” Trees are gifts of nature. Trees are our great friends, useful to us in many ways, give us food, shelter and Oxygen. They make the land fertile, save land from erosion.

We get timber from trees and used in making houses, boats, ships, furniture etc. Trees give us mango, coconut black berry and other fruits. Great friend’s tree helps to cause rain and provide shelter to birds and beasts.

The green rows of friends in the beauty forest sooth our eyes. Trees are essential to human life to environment to being polluted that prevents air-pollution everyday.

The great friend’s tree is a source of health, pleasure and sense of beauty, purity and nobleness in our minds.

World Tiger Day

World Tiger Day today

The theme of the day is "Save Sundarbans, Save Tigers."

Bangladesh will observe the day amid various programmers with a view to creating awareness among people to preserve the tigers.

A programme to enhance thenumber of tigers double across the globe by 2022 has been taken.

Ministry of Environment and Forests has taken elaborate programme to observe the day. As part of the programme, rally will be broughtout from in front of National Museum at Shahbagh thismorning.

State Minister for Environment andForests Dr Hassan Mahmud said the present government was implementing "Tiger Action Plan" (TAP) to protect the tigers. The project costing about Tk 276 crore will be completed by 2017, he said.

Bangladesh,India, Nepal and Bhutan are working together toimplement the TAP. 

According to a survey carried out in 2004, the number of tigers in the Sundarbans is 440.

Wilde Life Institute of India and World Nature Institute, 70 per cent tigers was declined in the lastdecade while the number of tigers were reduced from 100,000 to 3,200 in thelast century.