Army camps source of nuisance, harassment for locals: Hurriyat (G)
Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) Thursday called for removal of armed forces’ camps from civilian areas, terming them “a source of nuisance and harassment for locals.”
“We support demand of people for removal of these camps which have come in every nook and corner in Kashmir,” Hurriyat (G) said in a statement issued here.
Expressing concern over setting up of new forces camps in nook and corner of state, Hurriyat said that the move is ‘highly condemnable’.
“Such camps in civilian areas are source of strain between forces and people, and these camps are nuisance. They create needless interference in routine work of adjacent population,” Huriyat (G) said while stressing their demand to shift these forces camps.
Establishing these camps in civilian areas is against international norms and tantamount to rights violation, Huriyat (G) added.
Appealing international community and organizations for human rights, Hurriyat (G) urged them to take notice of the presence of these camps and play their role to secure the citizen rights.
Expressing deep concern over the reports pouring in from different civilian localities, the spokesman said that forces and SOG personnel during search operations in Palpora, Pistona Pulwama and Arizal Beerwa ransacked properties, humiliatedand thrashed the inmates to pulp injuring seriously Bashir Ahmad Hajjam, Sameera Banu and dozens of other, saying people have suffered immensely since past several years and continue to bear the “severe brunt of Kashmir’s forcible control.”
“Hundreds of people mostly our youth have been killed, while even children and women are not spared,” Hurriyat said.
Due to this anti-Kashmir operation, every second day, a cordon-and-search operation is launched in some area and the people are tormented and harassed and when they protest against it, they are fired upon, killed, injured or arrested,” Hurriyat (G) added.
Notably, panic has gripped Srinagar’s posh locality Indiranagar where army is asking the residents to demolish civilian constructions that have come up close to the boundary walls of the army cantonment.
The army cites SRO96, which calls for ban on construction within 500 yards from FoD, construction.
According to an official document held by the Cantonment Board on January 17, this year, it was decided to implement the SRO-96- dated May 2, 2004 which bars construction of all kinds within the 500 yards from 2 FOD wall.
“No construction, plantation or placing of material that obstructs the view be permitted up to 50 meter of the parameter walls of Badamibagh Cantonment in areas other than 2 FoD,” reads the copy of minutes of the meeting, a copy of which is with Greater Kashmir.
It says that the top floor of buildings other than ground floor should have no windows/doors/openings towards military zone.
“The SRO is very old and the guidelines for constructions are also old. The January meeting discussed to implement the guidelines in letter and spirit to ensure there is no security breach as army establishments lies closer to local population,” said an official of the Board. “We are just informing the locals not to violate the SRO as we received reports of some construction going on in violation of SRO.”
KV Correspondent
