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Army to wait for probe result before buying new howitzers
The Indian Army will not issue fresh bids to buy the ultra-light howitzer that it badly needs for frontline defence.
- IANS
- Published: 23:26 July 3, 2009
New Delhi: The Indian Army will not issue fresh bids to buy the ultra-light howitzer that it badly needs for frontline defence.
Instead, it will await the outcome of the probe into corruption charges against the Singapore firm, whose guns it had chosen for field trials. The firm is among seven "blacklisted" on corruption charges.
India has not bought any artillery guns since the controversial Bofors deal in 1986. This year, after 10 months of evaluation, it had selected Singapore Technologies for field trials of the ultra-light howitzers. Then the firm was blacklisted by the defence ministry, jeopardising the modernisation plan. All dealings with blacklisted firms are on hold.
The first consignment of guns for field trials was supplied by the Singapore firm on May 29 and was positioned for the trials by June 5, the date the blacklist came out.
"The Pegasus light howitzer [of the Singapore Technologies Kinetics] has been selected for field trials after 10 months of evaluation by the defence ministry's Technical Evaluation Committee. So at the moment the Indian Army will not be issuing fresh RFP (request for proposal) for the ultra-light howitzers," a senior Indian Army official said.
"We will wait for the conclusion of investigations in the matter," the official added.
The ultra-light howitzers are required by the Indian Army to counter the Chinese threat as heavy artillery cannot be moved in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas.
Meanwhile, the Singapore firm has approached the defence ministry for clarification on the development even as it claimed that it is yet to receive an official order regarding the blacklist. The Singapore firm has been the frontrunner for a Rs29 billion (Dh2.2 million) order for 140 ultra-light howitzers.
"ST Kinetics has since approached the authority for clarifications and presented to the MoD [Ministry of Defence] a list of all our business activities in India," Gaius Ho, assistant vice president (corporate communications) of Singapore Technology, said via e-mail.
"While awaiting a response from the MoD, we have offered all cooperation to assist with any investigation as appropriate and hope that the MoD will quickly review the matter and clear ST Kinetics' reputation," Ho added.
Singapore Technologies was one of seven firms the defence ministry blacklisted June 5 after its name cropped up in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against former Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) chief Sudipto Ghosh under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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