Security installations fortified to foil militant attacks: Officials
Abid Bashir
Srinagar: In a bid to prevent fidayeen attacks on the vital security installations in Jammu and Kashmir, a joint project funded by Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has resulted in concrete measures on ground that include raising of boundary walls of all vital army installations camps, police stations and CRPF camps.
The move comes in wake of suicide attacks in 2017 and 2018 in Southern district of Pulwama at District Police Lines (DPL), Lethpora CRPF camp and also at the BSF camp at Srinagar near international airport.
A senior CRPF officer, wishing not to be named said that in the previous fidayeen attacks, militants took advantage of a low and under construction rare wall of DPL Pulwama to sneak in, leaving eight government forces personnel dead.
After a series of reviews for security of the forces’ installations and how heavily armed militants managed to enter fortified camps, top security brass in J&K decided to plug the loopholes by renovating all police stations, army and CRPF camps by increasing the height of walls around them to at least 12 feet to 15 feet maximum.
“We started a massive exercise of renovating the police stations,” a CRPF officer said, adding that the project was funded jointly by MoD and MHA.
“Raising the heights of walls was also part of the plan. The money was released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) for police and CRPF while as MoD released the funds for army.”
A police officer at the Police Headquarters said Rs 200 Crore sanctioned by the union Ministry of Home Affairs have been received.
“A major chunk of this amount is being spent on the renovation, repair and raising the heights of walls (around police installations),” he said, adding that works in sensitive districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag was taken up first.
“Srinagar was also covered. There are hardly any sensitive security installation where renovation activity is yet to be undertaken.
An army officer, however, said they started “overhauling of its security installations” soon after Panthankote and Uri suicide attacks in 2016.
“We have a separate security budget. We receive funds from the defence ministry directly,” said a senior army officer posted at Udhampur, wishing not to be named. He said exercise stands complete in Kashmir.
“We started from raising the heights of walls to minimum 12 feet at some places to 15 feet where walls were low in height. These are security measures aimed at preventing fidayeen militants from sneaking inside the camps,” he said. (KNO)
KV News
