LUCKNOW, Aug. 23 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has asked the state government to provide status on the identification of alternative land, which has affected the Army's long-range firing practice due to encroachment on the Army's firing range in city's Arjunganj area. Earlier, the state government informed the court that other land would be provided to the Army in the Lucknow division for long-range firing and manoeuvres. Short-range weapons firing will continue at the existing range, it said. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and justice Manjive Shukla passed the order on August 17, made available recently, while hearing a public interest litigation( PIL) filed in 2011 by Brigadier Tirbani Prasad, raising the issue of alleged encroachments on the army's firing range land in the city. The court inquired whether the proposed alternative site had been identified. The government was directed to clarify its position by the next hearing in the first week of November. "Let all the concerned authorities make an earnest endeavour to identify the aforesaid land and do the needful for providing it to the Indian Army at the earliest. A fresh affidavit shall be filed in this regard by the State Government clearly indicating as to whether such land has been identified or not. Any dithering in this regard would not be acceptable," the court directed. The state government informed the court that it had decided to provide alternative locations within the Lucknow division for military manoeuvres and field firing. The court directed that the process be completed expeditiously. The court had previously expressed displeasure with the working style of the state government and the Lucknow Development Authority officials in the Army land encroachment case. The Centre has already informed the court that the Army is unable to conduct long-range weapons training due to encroachment on the Arjunganj firing range. Following the 'Operation Sindoor', the Centre had stated that regular long-range weapons training was crucial to the army's preparedness. htc...