NEW DELHI: Nearly Rs 20 lakh are being spent on the “renovation of Colaba House, the huge bungalow which is traditionally the official residence of the army’s sub-area commander in Bombay, for occupation by the Chief of Army Staff General S.F. Rodrigues when he retires next June,

According to sources, the plan is to fortify the sprawling bungalow by raising its outer walls, erecting sentry posts and watch towers equipped with roving searchlights, besides adding other top security measures.

Rodrigues, by virtue of his office, belongs to the Z category, which, in Home Ministry parlance, indicates the category of government servants needing maximum security owing to their being on hit lists. Former COAS Gen. Sunderji, too, after his retirement, was provided with a heavily fortified residence, which goes by the name of Alcatraz, in Wellington town of Tamil Nadu.

Interestingly, Rodrigues has a land of his own in Goa, his native state, besides additional land that has been gifted to him by the slate government.

Already, ex-army commander Lt Gen. K.S.Brar, who retired on September 30 last, has been admitted a huge bungalow that hiterb had been the official residence of the deputy general officer commanding in Bombay. This house, too, is located in the prestigious Colaba area of Bombay. Reportedly, lakhs of rupees have been sent on this house too, to provide the same kind of security.

Besides raising many an eyebrow bowing to the government commitment to austerity and stringent cost-cutting, the news of this sort of post-retirement benefit has begun to cause heart burn among senior serving and well as retired army officers.

The reason that there are bound to be many more defence officers who will fall in the category. On the other hand, quite a few officers who have been threatened by militants have not camed this kind of security from the establishment. For instance, field commanders like Gen. Harkirat Singh and the late Gen, A.M. Malik, who commanded troops in Sri Lanka during the IPKF days, were Left to tend for themselves against threats from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Another officer, who unhappy army men say, should also deserve the Z category is Gen. Ranjit Dyal, now retired currently, the Lieutenant Governor of the Andamans.

Quite a few others serving officers, who have been involved in tackling insurgency in various parts of the country, are uncertain about their future, These include brigade commander Brig Shivle who served in the Mulaitivu sector with the IPKF, and Col, Khan who led the assault in Operation Bluestar. Neither is in the Z category.

The best way out will be to pull all these Z category officers together in one complex so that the expenditure is kept to the minimum,” said a former senior army officer.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 30, 1992