SSB’s jungle warfare school sought shifting of training venue due to winter, denied nod

The commando course training for the joint batch of Assistant Commandants (DE) and Sub Inspectors (DE) at Gwaldam, in Chamoli district, was scheduled to begin Friday. In November, the Gwaldam hill station witnesses sub-zero temperatures ranging up to -11 degrees Celsius.

In an internal communication dated November 3 to CI&JW Gwaldam and SSB Academy, Bhopal, Second-In-Command (training) Sanjay Kumar said: “CI&JW School in Gwaldam has requested on October 27 to divert joint batch of commando course of assistant commandants (DE) and SI (DE) scheduled at their school from November 17 onwards to other training centres due to ‘inclement cold’ weather of Gwaldam during the period.”

Stating that the Inspector General (training) “has not approved the proposal”, Kumar quoted him as saying: “Won’t some of them serve on missions abroad, given a chance, where temperatures are still lower? They may be advised to carry warm clothes and other winter items and complete the training on time. CI&JW School in Gwaldam may accordingly notify the requirement and [be] asked to conduct the joint batch of commando course…”

Kumar further asked the SSB Academy in Bhopal to relieve 23 Assistant Commandants “well in time… to report at CI&JW School in Gwaldam to undergo the commando course.”

When contacted, IG (training) Paresh Saxena said, “This is a compulsory course… it makes officers ready for facing tough challenges… SSB officers can be posted anywhere anytime and we guard difficult terrains like Didihat, Tawang, Pithoragarh, Sikkim… which are at much higher altitude than Gwaldam. CI&JW is the only place where we have in-house training of Commandos.”