Army to shut down Officers Training Academy in Gaya

The Army will shut down its Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya, Bihar, as it has become unviable and is being used below its capacity, sources said on Wednesday.

An Army official said a proposal was sent to the Defence Ministry that the OTA should be shut as it is "not serving the purpose the way it was planned". The ministry has approved the proposal, the official added.

The institute has been training technical entry scheme and special commissioned officers since 2011. These officer cadets will now be trained at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

The OTA in Gaya, the third pre-commission training academy for the Army after OTA Chennai, and IMA Dehradun, was commissioned in 2011.

Nearly 250 cadets are currently undergoing training at the institute, against its capacity of 750.

BJP MP from Aurangabad in Bihar, had raised the issue in Parliament during the last Budget Session, stating that the move will hurt the local economy.