Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Mar 25: General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Chinar Corps, Lt General Subrata Saha said that as the snow has started melting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, militants are readying themselves for infiltration.
The GOC while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at North Kashmir’s Bandipora district said that Army is watching the movements across the LoC and is ready to tackle it. “The activities that take place across the Line of Control (LoC) as snow melts have started. We are keeping an eye on that”, he added.
Lt General Saha said that Army is already present there on the LoC to deal with increased infiltration bids. “Despite snowfall, Army is present everywhere. In this season as the snow melts the infiltration bids increase”, he added.
The Army this year didn’t lower its guard along the LoC and continued its vigil as the militants were planning to infiltrate in snow as well. Militants of late have acquired latest equipment to infiltrate in heavy snow forcing the Army to maintain tight vigil even in snow.
The militants have acquired Swiss-made snow clothing and boots, digital navigation consoles, satellite phones, high-energy food and more weaponry and ammunition to infiltrate in heavy snow.
Lt General Saha said that they have taken the recent attacks in Kathua and Samba districts seriously and are ready to deal with such challenges. “Whenever any attack takes place we take it seriously. We take lessons from it so that in future we act accordingly”, he added.
The GOC said that Army’s presence in forward areas was handy for the people as there were lot of many mini-disasters due to heavy snowfall and Army helped people. “The heavy snowfall in Kashmir led to mini disasters in forward areas and Army helped people”, he said.
Lt General Subrata Saha said that there are 200 militants operating in Kashmir. It may be mentioned here that last year Army killed 101 militants in Kashmir valley with 59 of them killed on the LoC while infiltrating.
Earlier, while addressing the function Lt General Saha congratulated people for giving a chance for talent to come up. He said that talent knows no boundaries and this facet was amply exhibited by the kids.
“While Army will continue to sustain peace, the initiatives towards human development through education, employment generation, capacity building, support to specially abled, health care, and so on will continue unhindered”, said the Corps Commander.
A vibrant multi faceted youth oriented programme was organized by Chinar Corps at picturesque Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, Bandipora with Lt Gen Saha as the chief guest on the occasion.
The programme showcased the rich traditions of Kashmir and its cultural ethos by means of folk song performances and music. The Army dedicated a library to youth of Bandipora which was inaugurated by the GOC.
Children of Army Goodwill School, Kharpora presented a programme that was dedicated to the flood victims, expressing the indomitable spirit of the people to bounce back.
This was followed by an impressive display on martial arts by students of Ali Sports Academy and a musical performance by Master Nisar Ahmad, a visually impaired boy.
The Army also presented 15 wheel chairs to handicapped and provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 2.15 lakhs to six needy patients of the area for their medical care.
An inter-action with ex-servicemen of the area and felicitation of Veer Naris was also held. During the event, 14 youth who have been recently recruited into Army and are ready to join the Indian Army were also felicitated.
This event marked the culmination of the Army’s Initiative “Bandipora’s Got Talent”, an event conducted over a period of 10 days with over 700 youth participants in different events, showcasing their talent.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel