A senior military official said on Wednesday that Army cadets training is likely to be shifted from the OTA in Gaya to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun and the vacated space might become the Sikh Light Infantry Regimental Centre soon.
Recently, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, saying it would be very inappropriate to close the Indian Army's Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya.
"The academy (OTA) not only provided employment opportunities in the region but also contributed towards economy and a sense of security in the area. In addition, it supported the livelihood of large number of people in the area," Kumar had said.
The military official on Wednesday said, "The space vacated by the cadets at OTA Gaya will be occupied by the Sikh LI (Light Infantry) Regimental Centre which is currently co-located with the Rajput Regimental Centre at Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh."
The official added that this shift will help Gaya's economy as 10 times more number of Army personnel -- as compared to the OTA -- would be posted there in the regimental centre.
"Army has proposed shifting of the technical entry scheme (TES) training from OTA in Gaya to IMA in Dehradun. The proposal is yet to be accepted by the Ministry of Defence," he added.
While the IMA has the capacity to train 1,600 cadets annually, it trains just 1,350 cadets currently, according to the official. Similarly, while the OTA at Gaya has the capacity to train 700 cadets, it remains under-utilised.
Therefore, in order to optimise the training infrastructure, the TES cadets of the OTA at Gaya are likely to be shifted to the IMA.
"The TES entry shall always be there. Talk of the TES entry closure is wrong, proposal is to just shift the training to IMA, Dehradun," said the official.
The Bihar Chief Minister wrote to the Defence Minister after a few news reports stated this month that the Army is planning to close the OTA at Gaya.
"The OTA provides a feeling of security and safety to pilgrims coming from different places," Kumar noted.
He added in his letter that the OTA was set up at Gaya in 2011 to augment the strength and meet the shortage of officers in Indian Army.
"It would be very inappropriate to close the OTA at Gaya. This wrong decision by the Ministry of Defence is against the state's interest and it would be a gross injustice to the people of Bihar," Kumar told Singh.
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