Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8

Civilian officers of the Military Engineer Service (MES) airing their grievances by writing directly to the Defence Minister and other senior functionaries have invited the Ministry of Defence’s ire.Pointing out that a large number of letters and representation from the Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) and Quantity Surveying and Contract (QS&C) cadre officers addressed to the MoD and the Defence Secretary have been received, an order issued by the ministry has stated that such actions are contrary to conduct rules.Directing the Engineer-in-Chief at Army headquarters to issue appropriate advisory to all officers and staff of the IDSE and QS&C cadres to follow the channel for correspondence regarding service conditions, the MoD warns that in case officers digress it would be viewed seriously and disciplinary action would be initiated against them.IDSE and QS&C cadres are engineers who are recruited through the UPSC and posted at supervisory posts at various levels, including chief engineer of zones. In a move that reflected a deep rift between the military and civilian cadres of the MES, a large number of civilian officers had recently written to the Defence Minister, Defence Secretary, Army Chief and other officers expressing “loss of confidence” in the MES administration that is headed by a Lieutenant General.

84-year-old donates savings to armed forces

Bhavnagar: An 84-year-old retired SBI clerk has tugged heartstrings by donating his entire life savings amounting to Rs 1 crore to the National Defence Fund. Hailing from Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, Janardan Bhatt and his wife saw reports of martyred Army jawans and decided to take the step. ANI