AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 215 of 332 Section 7 – Panorama 1 Buffalo Runs Capt (IN) N Vijayasarathy Genre: Reminiscence Run I Post 1971 War, G o I (MHA) invited Ex-servicemen volunteers for settling in Campbell Bay, a sparsely populated village in Great Nicobar, the Southernmost Island of the A&N group. Many ESMs from Punjab who were well versed in farming volunteered. They were given land free of cost. They were provided with bull dozers, tractors etc. to clear designated areas for cultivation so that they become self-sufficient. These equipment did well initially and soon started having maintenance and spares problems due to high humid climate round the year. Getting spares for them was a Herculean task because of distance from the mainland and the poor communication lines. Soon these equipment became junk. The farmers requested the G o I to provide them with buffalos instead for ploughing and other agricultural purposes because of their hardiness and ability to withstand humid climes. The MHA approached M o D for assistance since it was found that disembarking a large number of cattle at Campbell Bay transported on board cargo vessels without adequate alongside berthing was difficult and cumbersome. M o D tasked the Indian Navy and the Navy chose a 30 years old WW II LST (Landing Ship Tank) INS Magar for the task of ferrying buffaloes to Campbell Bay. She was based at Visakhapatnam.