THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 (PAGE 16) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU NEW DELHI, Mar 1: and the Centre to implement massive reforms in the police test-fires indigenous “Nobody listens to our Nobody listens to our orders, says SC force including a fixed tenure orders,” the Supreme Court “Police reforms are going on for urgent hearing on the plea bench that also comprised for senior officers. observed today while refusing to and on. Nobody listens to our filed by Ashwini Kumar Justices D Y Chandrachud and S Earlier, the apex court had accord urgent hearing to a plea orders,” a bench headed by Upadhayay, lawyer and Delhi K Kaul. allowed Upadhyay to intervene supersonic interceptor missile seeking massive reforms in Chief Justice J S Khehar lament- BJP spokesperson. Upadhyay, in his plea, has as a party in a pending PIL on police force across the country. /NEW DELHI, Mar 1: systems using infrared imagery. Radars and ed while declining the request “Sorry. Declined,” said the sought directions to the states the issue of police reforms.(PTI) telemetry stations tracked the target and the inter- India today successfully test-fired an indige- ceptor till the destruction of the target. nously developed supersonic interceptor missile “Today’s test launch was conducted in order capable of destroying any incoming enemy mis- to validate various parameters of the interceptor sile at low altitude, a feat which reflects the coun- in flight mode,” a defence official said, adding it try’s Ballistic Missile Defence prowess. was a low altitude trial. The Defence Ministry said all the mission The interceptor was engaged against a target objectives were successfully met during the test- which was a missile launched from launch firing of the endo- atmospheric missile from complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island in . Chandipur near Balasore, taking up the trajectory This the second time that the missile has been of a hostile ballistic missile. test-fired in less than a month and is part of an The target missile was launched at about effort to put in place a multi-layer missile defence 10.10 hours from Chandipur. system. After about four minutes the interceptor, “The endo-atmospheric missile, capable of Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile positioned intercepting incoming targets at an altitude of 15 at Abdul Kalam Island in the , get- to 25 km successfully destroyed the incoming ting signals from tracking radars, roared through missile. All the mission objectives were success- its trajectory to destroy the incoming hostile mis- fully met,” the Defence Ministry said. sile in mid-air, in an endo-atmospheric altitude, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar congratu- the official said. lated DRDO on the successful launch. “The mission was excellent and it was a direct “The launch has proved the Ballistic Missile hit,” said a scientist of the Defence Research Defence (BMD) prowess of the country,” the Development Organisation (DRDO). Ministry said. Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and The interceptor is a 7.5-m-long single stage Director General (Missiles and Strategic solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped Systems), DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy moni- with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and tored the launch operation along with other top an electro-mechanical activator, the official said. officials. The interceptor missile had its own mobile The Ministry said the complete event includ- launcher, secure data link for interception, inde- ing the “engagement and destruction” was pendent tracking and homing capabilities and tracked by a number of electro-optical tracking sophisticated radars, the official added.(PTI)