Doklam/New Delhi: The Indian Army is giving final touches to a long-pending project to manufacture specialised clothing, sleeping kits and key equipment for its soldiers deployed in the Siachen Glacier, the world’s most dangerous battlefield.
India spends around Rs800 crore (Dh426,347,983) annually for importing Extreme Cold Weather Clothing Systems (ECWCS) and mountaineering kits for soldiers guarding the glacier at heights ranging at 16,000 feet to 20,000 feet, according to official data.
Military sources said the army is aiming to save nearly Rs300 crore annually through indigenous production of these items which are, at present, sourced from countries like the United States, Australia, Canada and Switzerland. “We have almost finalised the project under which a large number of items required for troops deployed in Siachen Glacier will be manufactured in India through involvement of the private sector,” said a source.
The items which will be produced in India include thermal insoles, snow goggles, ice axes, boots, avalanche victim detector, rock pitons, karabiner-related mountaineering equipment and sleeping bags. Some of the clothing gear, to be manufactured in India, will also be supplied to army personnel deployed in high-altitude locations like Doklam along the treacherous Sino-India border.
The Siachen Glacier in the Karakorum range is known as the highest militarised zone and battlefield in the world, where soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winter and temperatures can drop to as low as -60C.
According to official figure, the army lost 163 personnel deployed at the glacier, during the last 10 years.
India and Pakistan started deploying troops at the strategically key glacier in 1984. Sources said the high-altitude equipment are being divided into two categories. The first lot will be for those deployed at the range of 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet and the second category will be for those guarding the border beyond the 12,000 feet level.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been extensively focusing on ensuring indigenous production of military equipment and platforms under its Make in India initiative. The sources said a number of foreign companies have also shown interest in co-producing ECWCS and high-altitude equipment along with Indian firms.
