JODHPUR: Another stalemate! Army's South Western Command headquartered at Jaipur is an important operational command looking after the western borders. Its last commander Lt General Sarath Chand moved out on January 12 this year and assumed the important assignment of the Vice Chief of Army Staff at Army Headquarters in Delhi. Since then the crucial appointment of Army Commander South Western Command is awaiting the posting of a fresh incumbent. Normally, the government which approves these postings ensures a smooth transition.No officer has been posted so far in place of Lt Gen Sarath Chand, which brings to mind the case of Army's Western Command at Chandimandir where after the retirement of Lt Gen K J Singh on July 31 last year, his successor Lt Gen Surinder Singh was posted in the month of September. Officials pleading anonymity said that all these years, as per the convention and priority, the next Army Commander used to be officially declared before the previous once was relieved.While Lieutenant General Sarath Chand, the previous General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Sapta Shakti Command in Jaipur relinquished its reins on January 12, his successor Army Commander is yet to be announced. While there is a delay in announcing the posting orders for the next Army Commander, corridors in the Army Headquarters are abuzz with the guesstimates with respect to the appointment of the next bearer.The senior officials are discontented over such a state of precariousness with respect to the appointments and even the postings at senior levels, unlike the practice in the yesters years. In fact, as per the officials this trend in the Ministry of Defence has been continuing since the last year wherein the fresh incumbents were not announced against the posts getting vacated in the wake of retirements against strategic posts etc. Officials are blaming it upon a delay on the front of Ministry of Defence in giving its nod. "But armed forces never worked like this .... not with respect to postings at such senior and sensitive posts", said an official.Meanwhile, South Western Command, the seventh and the youngest command of the Indian Army, christened as the Sapta Shakti is operating without a full time Army Commander. Earlier in June last year Lt. Gen D R Soni, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Bathinda-based 10 Corps was attached to headquarters of South Western Command in Jaipur while having been relieved of his previous appointment but not given his next posting. He finally took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-Chief) of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla in the month of September.

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