Bhubaneswar, June 26: People of the capital city may soon have a glimpse of the Bofors guns that boomed during the Kargil war, provided the directorate of NCC has its way.
Director general of NCC Lt General P.S. Bhalla told The Telegraph that Bofors guns and TU tanks could be on display in the city during the next Republic Day celebrations.
Speaking exclusively to this paper at the Biju Patnaik airport during the midnight of Saturday, Bhalla said: “The NCC’s air squadron had already organised stunts by the famous Surya Kiran Team in Bhubaneswar. Now, we are planning to bring the Bofors guns and the TU tanks to draw youth to the NCC.”
The Bofors guns had made a major impact during the Kargil war. They had helped push back the Pakistani troops from their once commanding heights in Kargil.
Bhalla was scheduled to return to New Delhi by a 2.40pm flight on Saturday, but got delayed by more than 12 hours after the plane had been grounded following a bird hit. Bhalla along with other passengers left for New Delhi at 3am on Sunday.
The Surya Kiran Team had showcased its aerobatics skills in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on January 11 and 12 last year on the occasion of the National Youth Festival. The team had performed breathtaking stunts flying over the Katahajodi riverbed in Cuttack and the Kalinga Stadium in the capital city. Confident that display of the Bofors guns and the tanks would help motivate the youth, Bhalla said: “We also have plans to attract the youth in Maoist-infested areas to the fold of the NCC. We will inculcate in them a sense of patriotism.”
Stressing the need for change in the course pattern for the NCC cadets, Bhalla said the organisation would focus on educating the youths about environmental issues. “Environmental law is an emerging issue and we have to focus on this. We will also launch campaign against smoking, AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue and other issues affecting people at large. The role of an NCC cadet will be made multidimensional as we want them to become good citizens,” he said. At present, the state has nearly 46,000 NCC cadets. However, there is a plan to raise it to 50,000.
The NCC is also going to set up five new units in Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Bhawanipatna and Nabaragpur.
