Anurag requests Rajnath not to shift Army training command

Shimla: Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur has appealed to defence minister Rajnath Singh not to shift headquarters of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) from Shimla to Meerut.
In a letter to Rajnath, he has said, “The state of Himachal Pradesh has had the honor of being a strategic location for the Indian Army for many years. The Army Training Command Headquarters has been in Shimla since 1993 and sudden shift will significantly affect the officers of all ranks, large number of serving personnel, a majority of whom are locals, along impact the local business, as well as, local employment.”
He said that Shimla provides a conducive environment for the functioning of the ARTRAC and the tabletop airport, along with the four lane highway, further contribute towards the ease of travel.
“I would humble urge you to kindly consider the request and not shift the ARTRAC out of Shimla,” the letter reads.
Earlier, Congress leader Anand Sharma had written to Rajnath demanding that proposal to shift the headquarters should be cancelled to save unnecessary financial burden and to protect the loss of employment to local people. He had said that shifting of such a big Army institution out of the state would adversely affect the economy of Shimla and the state.