More arms for Jamp;K troubled spots

NEW DELHI, JULY 2: Pumping in more weapons and ammunition into the trouble-spots of Jammu amp; Kashmir is the chief feature of the latest s...

NEW DELHI, JULY 2: Pumping in more weapons and ammunition into the trouble-spots of Jammu amp; Kashmir is the chief feature of the latest strategy drawn up by the Union Home Ministry in pursuance of its pro-active combat approach for the State. For a start, as many as 10,000 weapons are being supplied to the Village Defence Committees VDCs in Doda, the area that witnessed two major strikes by the militants recently.

The State Director General of Police DGP has been directed to expedite the supply of weapons to the VDCs. The move, coming close on the heels of the massacre of two wedding party members in Doda, is intended to serve a dual purpose. While on one hand, the arming of VDCs is expected to slow down, if not halt altogether, the killing of locals in remote and inaccesible areas, on the other hand, the Ministry hopes it would stop the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the region.

Even on a bigger scale, things on the Jamp;K front are happening at a fast pace. The special task force constituted by HomeMinister L K Advani has prepared an 8220;action plan8221; to counter militancy.

Construction of motorable roads and tracts in regions far from the nearest highway is one of the top priorities of the action plan. The local residents will help in setting up the roads.

Senior Home Ministry officials admit that inaccessibility to these areas gives an edge to the armed militants. A quick exit after a shoot-out becomes easy. 8220;It is more important to plug this particular loophole,8221; it is pointed out.

The fact that locals will be roped in for the construction of motorable roads will add to their economic well-being, beside actively associating them with the anti-militancy operations, the officials say. Substantial redeployment of para-military forces in the interiors, as also better coordination among them, is also on the anvil.

Equally important, it8217;s pointed out, is identification of new trouble spots in advance. A senior official involved with chalking out the new strategies explained, 8220;Doda is a flash-point,but only as of now. There are several more areas, comparatively peaceful now, where militancy can erupt anytime. We cannot afford to remain complacent about these.8221;

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Yet another feature of the action plan entails making the State Government more accountable to funds it receives from the Central Government for its anti-militancy measures. Already Rs 1,200 crore has reached the Jamp;K Government for security related activites involving, among other things, purchase of weapons, ammunition and bullet-proof weapons. 8220;We want active monitoring of funds. We want to ensure that the money is not mis-utilised,8221; an official said.

The action plan will soon be placed before the Prime Minister for his approval. It is the result of several brain-storming sessions, both in Jamp;K and in New Delhi, in which senior officials from para-military forces, Army, Intelligence Bureau and the State police participated under the overall coordination of Special Secretary Home M. B. Kaushal.

Arming VDCs, the officials say, hasbegun paying off though the results may have been overshadoweed by the recent massacres that hogged the limelight.