India to expand battle tank production capacity

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the heavy vehicles factory here which rolls out battle tanks for the Indian Army will be expanded.

"We will be increasing the production capacity of the heavy vehicles factory here," he said, while ruling out setting up of any new ordinance factory in Tamil Nadu.

He also said the bottleneck in the production of tanks has been removed and as such production numbers of tanks have increased.

Parrikar said production of 93 battle tanks were held up for a long time owing to over heating of the tank radiators but "within six months of our government coming to power, the issue was sorted out".

However officials at the heavy vehicles factory declined to comment when queried by IANS on the proposed production capacity, investment outlay for the same and how the radiator problem was solved.

"Revealing the production capacity will give away the country's defence preparedness," a senior official told IANS.

Queried about Indian army's attack on the rebels near the Myanmar border, Parrikar said the Indian army action is within its territory.

"We respect sovereign borders," he said.

Six personnel of Assam Rifles were killed in an ambush in Manipur's Chandel district by insurgents of the Corcom, the apex body of six prscribed underground organisations.

Parrikar also said the government will not brook any misdemeanour on the part of any official of the armed forces.

--IANS

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