STATE TIMES NEWS
Gumri: In the aftermath of the death of a youth in firing on protesters in north Kashmir’s Kupwara District a fortnight ago, army on Saturday said such unfortunate incidents will not happen in future as the force was working in perfect synergy with the police and the CRPF in the State.
The army does not deal with the protests. It is only the police or, at best, the CRPF that deals with protests, General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Satish Dua told reporters here.
“So, while we let them deal with protests, but in this unfortunate incident, they (protesters) had actually started breaking the gate and the fence of the army camp there,” Dua said.
We are very confident that henceforth this will not happen because we are working in perfect synergy with police and the CRPF, he said.
The protests broke out in Natnussa village on 15th April after four people were killed in firing by security forces in different areas in the district following allegations of molestation of a girl student by an army man in Handwara.
Lt Gen Dua said the inquiry ordered by the army into the incident and the subsequent firing was underway.
“The inquiry is underway,” the army commander said.
Asked about the number of militants waiting in launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), Lt Gen Dua said it does not matter how many people are waiting at the launch pads.
What matters is infiltration attempts being made and for that our counter-infiltration grid is in place.
Army is ready in every manner, whether there is less snow or not and irrespective of the seasons, to stop infiltration.
The army has always been helping the people in far flung areas and through various schemes under (operation) Sadbhavana.
So, the army is ready to stop infiltrators and to establish peace in the Valley, he said.
The Corps Commander was here at the re-opening ceremony of Zojila Pass on 434-km Srinagar-Leh highway.
The road link connecting Ladakh with the rest of the country remains shut for around six months annually in winter due to heavy snowfall.
The Srinagar-Leh National Highway, the only road connecting Kashmir Valley with frontier region of Ladakh, was thrown open to vehicular traffic after remaining closed for about four months owing to heavy snowfall during winter.
The highway was thrown open to traffic by Lt Gen Satish Dua, General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps at Gumri, 110 km from the summer capital, who said the highway remained open for an extended period in the last season as there was less snow.
It was closed on 29th December last year.
The snow clearance operations, by Border Roads Organisation on the road riddled with mighty avalanches of average height of snow accumulation of around 50 feet – commenced on 24th February.
The strategic highway passes through the 11,516-feet high Zojila Pass which lies on the lower depressions of the Himalayan ranges.
Reiterating the strategic and economic importance of the highway, Lt Gen Dua said having a throughout-the-year open road is very advantageous for the people and for the forces.
If a road is open, it is not that it is only for the people.
The stocking, which has to be done by the civilians of Ladakh for winter or even the forces, that will not be needed as the road will then remain open throughout the year, he said.
The army commander said the two tunnels to be constructed on the road would help keep the highway open throughout the year.
The work on 6.5-km-long Z-Morh Tunnel from Gagangir has started. The contract for the other 14-km-long Zojila tunnel will be finalised soon.
