Army had been procuring obselete Tatra trucks: CBI

The CBI investigation into the procurement of Tatra heavy duty trucks has revealed that Tatra a.s., the Czech manufacturer of the vehicle, had long back stopped manufacturing the version that was being provided to the Indian army till recently.

The CBI investigation into the procurement of Tatra heavy duty trucks has revealed that Tatra a.s., the Czech manufacturer of the vehicle, had long back stopped manufacturing the version that was being provided to the Indian army till recently.

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“The Indian army got the T-815 version of Tatra trucks. The model remained almost unchanged till the time army chief General VK Singh refused to clear a consignment of around 600 Tatra trucks. We are investigating why the same version was procured despite the availability of better versions,” said a senior CBI official.

According to sources, the vehicle’s T-815 version procured by PSU Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was replaced by better and more efficient versions like TERRN01, T-815 Armax and T-815 Force by the original manufacturer. But there were almost no changes in the trucks procured by the army. In fact, the T-815 version procured by the army was in licensed production only in India by BEML.

The CBI had reply from the BEML on the matter and some other issues. Sources reveal that the BEML has put the onus on the army for not asking about the improved versions.

“There are contradictions in the replies given by the BEML on the CBI’s questionnaire. One hand the BEML says it cannot even change even a nut or bolt on the trucks supplied by the manufacturer. But then it also says the BEML made improvements on many counts in the vehicles,” said sources.