Jammu, Dec 07: “Indian Army’s initiative to fence over 50 border villages located on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri will not only end infiltration but also rule out any possibility of smuggling of arms, ammunition, drugs, and other contraband. This fencing work started at the behest of the Ministry of Defence, will also end the woes of border villagers who used to find it hard to live because of infiltrators seeking forced sheltering in their homes, which now will not be possible.”
This was stated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri, who said that before the year 2003, Pakistan used to resort to indiscriminate firing to stop fencing work. “But now that the Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence have resolved to go ahead with the work firmly, guns have fallen silent and the border people are happy to see their villages getting permanent protection,” he said. “This fencing will also increase the accessibility of local administration, and people too will be able to move in their villages safely without fear of militants hiding in their homes.”
Suri said this fencing is also going to increase border tourism as the administration and the Army are mooting out plans to open these villages for tourists, who can even stay in the homes of villagers and experience a new life. “Now that the work in more than fifty percent of the villages is almost complete, it is likely that border people will get tourists visiting them soon,” he said.
Earlier, the Army used to help villagers and provide them with amenities but after fencing, now administration will ensure that all amenities are provided in the villages, the BJP leader said. “This will also lessen the burden on the Army and increase the involvement of local administration, which is a healthy sign of normalcy and able administration,” he added.
Raman Suri said that earlier, people used to move with passes and relatives of the villagers also used to face hardships, but now they won’t need any passes and will be able to move freely. Their relatives, he said, will also be able to visit villages comfortably as the entire area will be under surveillance and fencing will not enable any infiltrator to come and stay in border villages.
“This is what all previous governments and the Centre couldn’t do which the BJP government did in record time and provided people with great relief,” he said.
Suri lauded the decision of the Ministry of Defence and said that only the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi can take such tough decisions in the large interest of the general public. “To safeguard our nation from infiltrators, smugglers and anti-national elements, which now will not be able to infiltrate or do mischievous activities on borders. All such small yet important decisions are going to bring complete peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir in days to come,” he added.
