China drill was to be in Secunderabad

The Indian Army was initially in favour of Secunderabad (Hyderabad’s twin city) being the venue of the second joint Sino-Indian Army exercises in the country, well-placed South Block sources have revealed. The exercise, codenamed Exercise Handin-Hand, has started in Belgaum, Karnataka, which was ultimately selected as the venue. Sources indicated that it was felt in government circles that Belgaum should be the venue, probably because several sensitive defence establishments are located near Secunderabad and Hyderabad. Sources said that the thinking in government circles from the beginning was that the exercise could be held in southern India.

The Army had earlier considered other venues, including Mhow in Madhya Pradesh and Dehradun in Uttarakhand. But once it became clear that the exercise was to be held in southern India, the Army initially proposed that Secunderabad be the venue, sources said. This was due to several reasons.

Sources said that whenever exercises with a large neighbouring country like China are conducted, the focus is on showcasing the best in terms of infrastructure to gain what is known as “moral ascendancy”.

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