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| Car showrooms major risk to security establishments in Karan Nagar | | Fidayeen Attack aftermath | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 15: The roadside showcasing of cars by traders in the busy Karan Nagar locality here is not only a violation of the High Court directives but a major terror threat to the security establishments in the fortified area, intelligence agencies have observed.
Sources said the preliminary investigations into the recent Fidayeen attack on a CRPF camp in Karan Nagar locality, which houses many such installations, has pointed out that presence of hundreds of cars, which remain showcased on the footpaths round-the-clock was a major security threat.
Pertinently the area houses several car showrooms who have no space of their own for vehicles but keep them parked on the footpaths in the area round the clock.
"The Fidayeen must have taken shelter behind these parked vehicles that night and finally in the wee hours appeared right outside the paramilitary camp," said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
He said it was observed that around 500 vehicles were showcased on the footpaths on the fateful night and that presence of so many vehicles must have proved a blessing for the movement of the militants. "Around 100 such cars were parked next to a CRPF camp," said an official adding "It's very easy to hide behind vehicles and this is something which the militants must have taken advantage of."
Officials said there was a possibility that the militants may again take advantage of these vehicles for a strike in the area. "Unless the concerned authorities wake up and get rid of these encroachments the threat will only grow louder," the officials cautioned.
A car showroom owner told Early Times that his "small shop has no space for cars." "So I am dependant to park my vehicles on the footpaths alone. And we do regularly pay chai to the concerned authorities," he explained.
Though some time back the Traffic Police had launched a drive to get rid of the menace pleading that roadside showcasing of vehicles hinders public movement to nearby SMHS Hospital, the drive was abandoned midway following "political pressures." Sources said that time the concerned traders had greased palms of a minister in the PDP to come to their rescue.
Official sources said there are complaints that the concerned Karan Nagar Police Station and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation take regular "hafta" from such shopkeepers to let the vehicles be parked on footpaths.
But a senior official in the SMC refuted to be part of any such "money game." "We are not any party to the hafta paid by the shopkeepers because concerned police station is solely responsible and you better talk to them," the official said.
When contacted a police official said downplayed the matter. "If these car showrooms which operate from footpaths are really a security threat than the matter will be looked into. Otherwise it's a routine and we suspect that SMC takes hafta."
Sources said the matter was being brought to the notice of IGP Kashmir SP Pani. "This is a serious issue," the source said. |
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