The proposal to shift the prestigious Army Training Command (ARTRAC) from Shimla to Meerut seems to have been given a burial, at least for the time being, with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, formally communicating this to the state government.
Though there had been talk of the possible shifting out of the ARTRAC to Meerut or some other suitable location, it was only after the visit of Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat to Shimla, which fuelled more credible speculation in this regard. Even though Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur denied having received any written communication from either the Defence Ministry or any other agency, yet he took up the matter vigorously with the Centre.
Thakur not only wrote a letter to Rajnath, urging him not to accede to Army’s proposal to shift ARTRAC out of Shimla, but also met the Defence Minister, to be able to convince him of the relevance that the Army establishment had for Shimla. The persistent pleading with the Centre has finally yielded results. The move to shift ARTRAC from here was opposed by one and all, associated with Shimla, in one voice. Be it the ruling BJP, opposition Congress or the CPM voice in the form of its lone legislator Rakesh Singha. All made their displeasure known at the proposal. Be it former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, his son and Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, former minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma, all spoke in one voice, in the interest of the state.
Even as sources in the Army cited reasons such as unavailability of land for further expansion and locational disadvantage for the proposal, the move was vehemently opposed. The fact that the ARTRAC has been a prestigious institute associated with Shimla, any move for its shifting was bound to cause reaction.
Even though it was said that the Infantry Division Headquarters and the Himachal Pradesh and Punjab Area headquarters would be shifted to Shimla but all out efforts were made to ensure there was no shifting.
“We countered this argument being given by some by stating that ARTRAC cannot be substituted by an Infantry Division Headquarters, as it does not mean the same,” revealed Sanjay Kundu, who pleaded HP Government’s stand with the Centre. Various bodies of ex-servicemen had also opposed the move to shift ARTRAC as it remains one of the most prestigious institutes located in Shimla, which has remained the summer capital of the British, pre-independence.
With the shifting of the Western Command in 1985, Shimla lost a fair amount of its glamour and elite gentry. “Though, an indirect impact of the shifting out of the Western Command, the famous British time public school and convents in Shimla, were deprived of the advantage of getting well-trained teachers, who happened to be the wives of Army officers,” says Aradhna Sharma, a local resident.
Prior to the shifting of ARTRAC, the wives of many Army officers taught in these schools, adding to the standard of these national and internationally known educational institutions.
The ARTRAC was set up in 1991 and finally shifted to its present location in Shimla in 1993. It was conceived with the idea of formulating concepts and doctrines of warfare in the fields of strategy, operational art, tactics, logistics, training and human resource development, besides simulating real-time scenarios for higher-level war games, where its personnel also act as a research-based and well-informed adversary.
Army sources on the condition of anonymity pointed out that logistical disadvantage and difficult accessibility were some major handicaps, which were the main factors for the proposal for shifting the ARTRAC.
“The reason for choosing Shimla as the location for ARTRAC was purely on other considerations such as it happened to be the summer location of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army. Another possible reason for locating ARTRAC in Shimla could have been that the Western Command headquarters was located in Shimla from 1954 to 1985. Besides, the headquarters of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were also located in Shimla, though briefly. The main logic being given for the shifting of the ARTRAC was the need to have it at a place which has proximity to the areas of deployment, which have easy accessibility and vast expanse of land for expansion as well as undertaking training,” they said.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said: “Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has formally conveyed that ARTRAC would not be shifted out from Shimla. I had personally raised the issue with him, citing the historical relevance of the ARTRAC for Himachal and how its shifting would take away a very important part of Shimla. I am grateful to him for accepting our request.”
Shimla was once the summer location of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army and the Western Command HQ existed here from 1954 to 1985. Prior to the HQ ARTRAC, for some time the headquarters of the Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana Area were also located there as a replacement for the Western Command HQ.
Famous as the Western Command, comprising soothing green-roof buildings running along the Mall Road from Kalibari temple to the Deputy Commissioner’s office complex, the building was constructed in the 1860s and the complex was also the office of the Army Chief during the summer season before independence. A monument of magnificent colonial architectural has four main buildings constructed mainly of iron and stone. Unique in its design due to its ironwork frame construction, it is considered to be earthquake and fire-proof.
- The Army Training Command (ARTRAC), the think tank of the Indian Army is one of the most important commands responsible for maximising the effectiveness of training and establishing a dedicated organisation for formulating concepts and doctrines, which are specifically applicable to operational environment. The training philosophy is: “No soldier or officer should ever lose his life or limb in combat, because he was inadequately trained. That is the essence of training in the Indian Army”.
- Established on October 1, 1991, at the Military Headquarter of War (MHOW) in Madhya Pradesh and shifted to Shimla on March 31, 1993, ARTRAC was set up as a dedicated organisation to maximise the effectiveness of training and formulating concepts and doctrines which are specifically applicable to operational environment and address the needs of constantly changing complexion of a battlefield.
- The Indian Army prepares soldiers, leaders, units and formations to mobilise, deploy, fight and win across the entire spectrum of conflict, which enables it to accomplish all its visualised and assigned roles and tasks, both in war and in peace.
- The aim was to establish a dedicated organisation and to meet this requirement of a centralised, independent and high-powered organisation, with the requisite infrastructure and resources, the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) came into being, says a retired General.
- The role, duty and responsibilities of ARTRAC are quite elaborate and its primary function is formulation and dissemination of concepts and doctrines of warfare in the fields of strategy, operational art, tactics, logistics, training and human resource development.
- It also acts as a nodal agency for all institutional training in the Army and evolving joint doctrines in conjunction with other services.
- The focus of ARTRAC is also on developing leadership qualities and the revised edition of the book “Leadership “ published in 2004 is a compendium of motivational and inspiring articles on various facets of development of leadership, character and spirit of service before self. It goes by the dictum — “Leaders are made and not born”.
- Gen NC Vij, the then Army Chief, had commended the efforts of the ARTRAC in bringing out the book and said that this book be issued to all officers on their commissioning to help them evolve into effective military leaders.
- The ARTRAC has been entrusted with the role of development and dissemination of standardised doctrines for war at the strategic, operational and tactical levels along with planning, coordination, supervision and implementation of training policy and conducting training courses at specified training establishments of the Indian Army.
- The development of supplementary concepts for the operational functioning of all arms and services, with particular reference to the fields of intelligence, psychological operations, electronic warfare, motivation and training also comes under the purview of ARTRAC.
- Supervision and monitoring of training in all other training establishments and preparation of special training reports and training directives and development and introduction of advanced training aids, including computer war games and simulators at 32 training establishments.
- ARTRAC is also the nodal agency for doctrinal and training aspects pertaining to UN peace keeping operations, preparation of training manuals, Army level exercises and war games and interaction with training commands of other services at the conceptual level.
- ARTRAC celebrated it Silver Jubilee (25th Raising Day) on October 1, 2015, and the release of the ‘First Day Cover’ by the Postal Department was the highlight of the Special Sainik Sammelan.
- A move was initiated early this year to shift ARTRAC from Shimla to Meerut on the pretext that it was nearer to the Army Headquarters, but it has been stalled due to opposition by the state government and other political parties.
ARTRAC’s Army Heritage Museum
- The 5,000-year-old rich history of the courageous feats of the military dating back from the Mahabharata era to the present times is at display at “The Army Heritage Museum” in Shimla, which has also earned the distinction of being the only museum of its kind in the country. Established in 2006 by the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), the museum was dedicated to the citizens of Shimla by Lt General KS Jamwal (AVSM VSM).
- The rare collection of captured flag of the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry Battalion of Pakistan, execution order of Mangal Pandey, who raised the banner of rebellion against the British in 1857, Khuda Dad Khan, the first Indian to be decorated with the Victoria Cross and original dress of the first commissioned women officer of the India Army, Major Priya Jhingan adorn the museum.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has formally conveyed that ARTRAC would not be shifted out from Shimla. I had personally raised the issue with him, citing the historical relevance of ARTRAC for Himachal and how its shifting would take away a very important part of Shimla. I am grateful to him for accepting our request. Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister
We countered this argument being given by some by stating that ARTRAC cannot be substituted by an Infantry Division Headquarters, as it does not mean the same. Sanjay Kundu, Principal Secretary to CM who pleaded HP Government’s stand with the Centre
Though, an indirect impact of the shifting out of the Western Command, the famous British time public school and convents in Shimla, were deprived of the advantage of getting well-trained teachers, who happened to be the wives of Army officers. Aradhna Sharma, A local resident
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