Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 27: For the first time after taking over as Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi will hold high level review of the security situation with top Army Commanders at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, the headquarters of 15 Corps during his one day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on July 4.
Top Army Commanders including Northern Army Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda will brief the Prime Minister on security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir and the borders with Pakistan and China.
Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would also brief the Prime Minister, who would have luncheon meeting with Vohra.
Official sources told the Excelsior that preliminary schedule of Modi’s one day visit released to security agencies of Jammu and Kashmir by the Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO) revealed that Modi accompanied by Railways Minister Sadanand Gowda and Minister of State in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh would reach Jammu Airport at around 9 am on July 4, where he would be received among others by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, senior Cabinet Ministers and top officials of civil and police administration.
He would straightway fly to holy town of Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi ji shrine and flag off first ever train from Katra Railway Station.
To take a decision on the train the Prime Minister would flag off, top officials of Northern Railways are reaching here tomorrow. As the trains to be introduced to Katra or extended to new Railway Station from Udhampur and Jammu generally depart in the evening, the Railways officials are mulling that either a new DMU from Katra to Udhampur or Jammu or new special train would be flagged off by the Prime Minister and the Railways Minister.
However, the itinerary of the Prime Minister’s visit released today didn’t mention his visit to holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji. Earlier, Modi was scheduled to visit Mata Vaishno Devi shrine before flagging off the train from Katra, linking base camp of the shrine with the country by rail, thus, meeting a long pending demand of the people.
The trial run of newly constructed Panchi View Point helipad was also successfully conducted few days back. The new helipad is just one kilometer away from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan and is linked with the battery car.
It may be mentioned here that Modi had visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and took blessings of the Goddess on March 26 before launching election campaign of the BJP. After visiting the shrine, Modi had addressed a rally at border town of Hiranagar in Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, which the BJP had won comprehensively.
Sources said after inaugurating the train from Katra in about 45 minutes long ceremony, the Prime Minister would return to Jammu and fly to Srinagar, where he would visit Army’s 15 Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment and would hold first high level review of security situation with top Army Commanders.
GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen DS Hooda, who had recently taken over as Northern Army Command chief and had earlier served as Nagrota based 16 Corps GOC.
Sources said GOCs of 16 Corps Lt Gen KH Singh, GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Subrata Saha and GOC 14 Corps Lt Gen BS Negi.
Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would accompany the Prime Minister in the high level security review meeting apart from top brass of civil and police administration and para-military forces.
This would be first high level review of security situation in Jammu and Kashmir by Modi after taking over as the Prime Minister on May 26. Though Omar Abdullah had met Modi in New Delhi few days back, the talks were confined to requirements of Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi would have lunch at Raj Bhawan with the Governor.
Sources said Modi would have first hand review of situation in militancy infested State apart from borders with Pakistan and China, the steps taken by security forces to guard the borders and prevent infiltration by the militants and neutralize the ultras within the State.
The Prime Minister’s review of security situation becomes significant after Taliban attack on Karachi airport, Taliban’s call to its cadre to march to Kashmir and pullout of United States troops from Afghanistan by the year end.
After security review, Modi would fly to Uri in Baramulla along with other dignitaries including the Governor and the Chief Minister and would inaugurate 240 MW Uri-II hydroelectric power project.
Though Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has reviewed security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir with the MHA officials in New Delhi, he is yet to visit the border State. However, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had visited Kashmir few days back.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today reviewed preparations for the visit of the Prime Minister through video conferencing with top officers of civil and police administration.
Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir-Shantmanu and Shailender Kumar, IGPs Rajesh Kumar and GA Mir, DIG Udhampur range Gareeb Dass, Deputy Commissioner, Reasi Shahid Iqbal, SSP Reasi Vivek Gupta, DIG Jammu-Kathua range Shakeel Beig, SSP Jammu Uttam Chand, DIG Baramulla, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, SSP Baramulla Maqsood Ahmed and the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, DIG Srinagar-Budgam and SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar among others joined the video conferencing.
The police and civil officers of only those districts, which would be covered by Modi during his visit, attended the video conference.
Sources said security and other arrangements were broadly discussed in the video conferencing. The Chief Secretary briefed the officers about their role including protocol in the meeting. “The role of the officers was defined the meeting. They were assigned the duties on accompanying the Prime Minister, making security arrangements for him and other steps required especially at the inaugural function of train and Uri power project,” sources said.
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