news details |
|
|
| Without men in reserves J&K needs additional companies of forces for yatra duty | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 18 : The state Government has to bank on the Union Home Ministry for sending atleast 70 companies of paramilitary forces which were to be deployed on various routes during the two-month long annual Amarnath Yatra beginning from July 1.A senior police officer said "we need at least 100 companies of security forces for providing security cover to the pilgrims right from Jammu,the base camp,upto the holy cave situated at a height of 13500 ft in eastern Kashmir."
In reply to a question the officer said "we do not have sufficient number of security personnel in reserves,"adding that whatever number of companies of police and CRPF have with us stand deployed in various areas of the state.He said there was no question for the centre to send 10 to 20 companies of paramilitary forces and leave it to the state Government to deploy the remaining companies from its reserves.
Police authorities made it clear that since the level of infiltration of militants from across the LOC had increased in recent weeks "we are supposed to strengthen the entire security grid during the annual yatra when we expect over three lakh pilgrims to make it to the holy cave."They said nothing can be left to chance as reports from across the border had indicated that the infiltrators may attempt at kicking up violence during the yatra period. The state agencies were happy over the way the cabinet and the Shrine Board,headed by Governor,N.N.Vohra,have been on the same wavelength as far as the arrangements for the yatra were concerned.They said it was after a gap of two years that there was no conflict between the Shrine Board and the Chief Minister especially the ruling coalition.During the time the ruling coalition was headed by Mufti Mohd.Sayeed the Board and the state Government remained locked in a fierce controversy over the duration of the yatra.While the Mufti wanted the yatra period to be curtailed to three weeks the Board remained adamant on retaining the period to two months so that more pilgrims could offer prayers in the mountain cave.
In the past there have been attempts made by the militants at disrupting the yatra by targeting convoys of pilgrims.However,on an average the pilgrimage has been incident free because of heavy security cover pilgrims enjoyed right from Jammu upto the cave.The police authorities said that since the Baltal route too has been thrown open for pilgrims to trek to the cave additional companies were required to prevent militants from resorting to violence.
One police officer said that after the withdrawal of the BSF and the thinning of the CRPF the state has had to depend on the deployment of additional companies of paramilitary forces for yatra duty from the union Home Ministry.He said that the state Government in its latest report to the union Home Ministry has conveyed to the centre the need for taking additional precautionary measures for ensuring incident free yatra in view of sudden rise in the rate of ingress of militants from across the LOC."We have conveyed to the centre our requirement and it is now the responsibility of the union Government to assist the state agencies in insulating the entire mountain routes from Jammu to Pahalgam and from Jammu to Baltal against the activities of militants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
