Jammu, Jan 05: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Jammu Wednesday paid tributes to minority community people, who lost their precious lives in the terror strike in Rajouri earlier this month.
In a programme held at Chamber House Jammu, Arun Gupta, President CCI Jammu along with its office bearers prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and courage to kith and kin to bear with the irreparable loss inflicted upon them by the ultras.
Later talking to media persons at Chamber House, Gupta said that the situation in J&K has turned grim with terrorists now carrying out targeted killings at their will in Jammu region as well. “After the killing spree in the valley wherein many lives perished under the targeted killing ploy of the terror outfits, the situation in Jammu province has become crucial and if the government will not take some out of the box steps, it will become difficult for the common man to live under such situation where fear psychosis is ruling the roost,” he added.
CCI President asked the LG’s administration to brace-up the security grid and mobilize the intelligence network to ensure that such horrendous attacks should be stopped in the coming time. He urged the government to leave no stone unturned to bring to book the terrorists involved in this barbaric act of violence.
Gupta also blamed the administration for disarming the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) especially in border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to put their lives at risk. He said had the VDCs not been disarmed in Upper Dhangri, precious lives of six innocent people would have not been lost.
He said the VDCs constituted way back in 1996 did a yeoman’s job in combating militancy in erstwhile Doda district as well as other militancy infested areas of Jammu region. “Unfortunately the Government has disarmed them and made them defunct in various parts of the region due to which the militants got a free chance to strike at will wherever they like”.
The Jammu Chamber President appealed to the government to establish VDCs along the entire border belt right from Lakhanpur to Poonch in Jammu region to check the infiltration and attacks by militants.
