New Delhi: Lieutenant General Arvind Walia has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Indian Army officials confirmed that he will be succeeding Lt Gen Harpal Singh as he is retiring on December 31. In August 2021, Lt Gen Arvind Walia was appointed as Chief of Staff at Headquarters Southern Command, Pune.
Lt Gen Harpal Singh assumed the appointment of Engineer-in-Chief and Colonel Comdt of the Corps of Engineers on 1 December 2020 and has held the posts for two years. The Corps of Engineers provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for defence organisations, helps along the borders and aids civil authorities during natural disasters.
Who is Lt Gen Arvind Walia?
Lt Gen Arvind Walia is the silver medallist from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was an officer in the Corps of Engineers. He has commanded an independent squadron in the desert sector, a Regiment in Jammu and Kashmir, an Engineer Brigade along the Western front and the MEG and Centre at Bengaluru. He has conducted staff appointments including Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Director in the Engineer-in-Chief’s Branch at the Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army), and Chief Engineer of a Command and Brig Q in a Strike Corps.
Apart from his defence qualifications, he has academic qualifications from prestigious institutions in India. He has done BE (Hons), Civil Engineering from BITS Pilani, MSC Def and Strategic Studies from Madras University, Master of Management Studies from Osmania University and M Phil from both Madras University and Osmania University.
