Gaya OTA to go for closure?
S Vishnu Sharmaa, INN/Chennai, @Svs03
The decision to close Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya in Bihar has already made news. However, there seems to have been some not so happy moments with regards to closing it.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is said to have written a letter of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the proposed closure. Nitish Kumar said the decision to shut OTA does not go well with Bihar.
The academy paved way for providing employment in the region and made a significant contribution towards the economy. It also offered a sense of security in the area, Chief Minister Kumar is said to have said this in the letter.
Defence Ministry is said to have cleared the proposal of Indian Army to close down Gaya OTA. Sources say the decision to close down the military training academy was because it received inadequate enrollments.
The academy is said to be training about 250 cadets when it has the capacity to train 750 every year. The cadets who are getting trained at Gaya OTA are likely to be shifted to Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.
Sikh Light Infantry Regimental Centre which is now located at Rajput Regimental Centre at Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh is likely to shift to the OTA once the cadets there move out. Sources say that OTA is being closed down owing to lack of enough number of cadets there. There is a shortage in this number as not many youngsters are turning upto considering Army as a bright career option.
There is another reason for generating not-so-happy moments. The proposal to close down Gaya OTA came in such a time when Indian Army is said to be facing a shortage of officers in the ranks of Lieutenant Colonels and below. There is a shortage of around 7,000 officers.
