The centre was established in 1978 for rehabilitation of paraplegic and tetraplegic ex-servicemen. The centre instils in them an urge to live to become self-supporting citizens by providing vocational training suitable to their medical fitness.

Lt Gen Oberoi went around the wards, physiotherapy section, vocational training hall and the quarters for the inmates and their families. The Director of the centre, Col MMS Randhawa (retd) briefed the GOC-in-C on medical care and vocational training being provided to the inmates and their families.

Lt Gen Oberoi met all the inmates. He also appreciated their laurels at national and international sports events. Maj Gen TAD Cunha, MGAOC, Maj Gen RP Arora, DDMS and Brig SK Sinha, Station Commander were also present on the occasion.

At present the centre houses 19 inmates hailing from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal and Nepal.

The two-day annual Army Aviation conference was held at the headquarters, Western Command in Chandimandir.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi presented the flight safety trophy to 8 Reconnaissance and Observation Flight for having been adjudged as the best flying unit in the Command Zone for the year 1999-2000. Maj H P Patel received the trophy on behalf of his unit. The trophy is awarded on the basis of operational efficiency and flight safety achievement.

The Chief of Staff, Western Command, Lt Gen B S Malik, who chaired the conference congratulated the Army Aviation Corps for the excellent job done by it in the Command area. He emphasised the need to promote flight safety which was an end product of synergised efforts of the aviators and the ground staff.

Senior Officers from the Army Headquarters and representatives dealing with aviation matters attended the conference.