ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

India orders more spare parts for Bofors guns

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Indian army has ordered spare parts worth around Rs 1 billion from the controversial Swedish firm AB Bofors for the howitzer guns that played a crucial role in the Kargil conflict.

This follows a smaller order placed in July for spare parts for the 410 FH 77B field howitzers that were bought in 1986. That order was the army's first dealing with the Swedish firm after the Bofors scandal came to the fore in the late 1980s.

The latest order, AB Bofors admitted in a statement in Sweden, was "economically important", and gives clear signals that "relations have normalised". Sources in the office of the master general, ordinance, said it signifies a "major turnaround" in India's dealings with Bofors.

According to the Swedish firm, "Celsius has received a further order from the Indian army for spare parts. The order is of spare parts for the FH 77B field howitzer. It is valued at MSEK 190 ($ 23.26 million) and is a follow-on delivery within the framework of the FH 77B contract from 1986."

The statement further said the "order is the first with an extensive character from India since the extremely large order was received by Bofors in the 1980s."

In July, during the height of Kargil conflict, the defence ministry had withdrawn the ban on Bofors, after the army pushed for it arguing that it was running short of spare parts for the 155mm guns. In fact, the army had dismantled several Bofors guns to take out spare parts.

The government had banned all dealings with Bofors after the allegations about bribes surfaced in the late 1980s. The Bharatiya Janata Party and other Opposition parties have managed to keep alive the Bofors case in political discussions, though the Central Bureau of Investigation is yet to file a chargesheet in the case.

Tell us what you think of this report