General Vij with non-commissioned officers after laying the foundation stone of the academy on Sunday. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Dec. 19: Army chief N.C. Vij today gave his ?parting gift? to the region, laying the foundation stone of what will be the largest academy of the defence services when it is completed in five years.

The Non-commissioned Officers? Academy at Bengdubi military station, 12 km from here, will train 20,000 personnel of the ranks of corporals and sergeants in combat, initiative and leadership.

?The eastern sector was chosen as the site for the academy in keeping with the relationship the army has with the east,? said the general who will retire on December 31. Before that, he would be in China on a goodwill trip.

?It also has the right combination of terrain ? jungles, mountains, plains, urban and semi-urban areas. In today?s warfare, training in all these areas has become necessary. North Bengal has the right facilities and both the people and weather are good,? he said.

?Warfare today is based on small groups, usually led by havildars. They need to take the right decisions and be able to use their equipment, which are updated very fast these days, to the optimum.?

Non-commissioned officers, most of whom have qualifications up to Class XII, were for so long trained only in the use of weapons and not in initiative and leadership.

The campus of the academy, also to be known as Junior Leaders? Training Establishment, will be over 1,045 acres.

?This will be the largest academy in the defence services and will achieve high international standards,? said Lt Gen. D.P. Singh, the commandant of the Infantry School in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

The courses will be held at Binaguri, 65 km east of Siliguri, during the first three years as the construction takes place. The first batch of six companies (700 to 800 soldiers) will start training from April 15.