Himachal CM to raise with PM, Def Minister shifting of Army Training Command from Shimla

Following reports that the Army is considering a proposal to shift its training command headquarters from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Thursday he will raise the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Replying to a question raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mukesh Agnihotri, the CM informed the House that the state government did not receive any official information so far regarding the proposal of shifting Headquarters of the Army Training Command (HQ ARTRAC) from Shimla to Ambala in Haryana.

He said a delegation including several ex-servicemen had met him the previous day and expressed their concern over the proposal.

Thakur said his government would raise the issue with the Centre and make every possible effort to ensure that the proposal does not materialise.

The CM said he would talk to Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman in this regard.

"The ARTRAC has its own historical and strategic significance and I will leave no stone unturned to withdraw the proposal of shifting HQ ARTRAC from Shimla," he said.

"Our defence forces make their own internal strategies as per their requirement but individually I am against its shifting," the chief minister added.

Earlier raising the issue in the Assembly, the LoP said he had got the information regarding decision of shifting the HQ ARTRAC from Shimla to Ambala from his sources and a section of the media.

He said efforts should be made to stop the shifting as Headquarters of the Western Command had already been shifted from Shimla to Chandimandir in Haryana in 1985.

The ARTRAC has been based in Shimla since March 1993 after it was moved there from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. It is housed in heritage buildings dating back to the British era. The buildings, at one point of time, housed the headquarters of The Indian Army during the summer months.