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| Anti-terror apparatus in disorder in J&K | | |
If not anywhere else in India atleast in Jammu and Kashmir neither the Government nor the security agencies can afford to downgrade the security grid both within the state and on the LOC and IB. Since the state has witnessed deadly terrorist strikes and other incidents of militancy related activities and violence there is no scope for any complacency on the part of the Government and its wings connected with maintaining law and order. What is amazing and disturbing in Jammu and Kashmir is that neither the Government nor the security agencies nor the intelligence agencies show signs of wisdom even after militants manage to enact the drama of death in the streets of the state. In fact the Government and the security agencies should have become wiser as far as framing anti-terror strategy in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned because of the fact that the state has been plagued by a war like situation as a result of machinations of Pakistan supported and trained militants. Since militancy related activities in Jammu and Kashmir are not a new phenomenon as they are as old as 24 years the state authorities should have by now made all anti-insurgency apparatus foolproof. It has not be done and the recent saga pertains to the malfunctioning of the CCTVs installed in the twin capital cities of the state and in other sensitive areas.
And the concerned Government agencies, including the police, have not bothered to check whether the CCTvs, installed in some areas of the state, were functional or had developed major fault. Reports have revealed that most of the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, installed in capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar besides Katra, the base camp for the pilgrimage to the holy cave of Mata Vaishno Devi , Katra-Bhawan track and some other places, have been rendered non-functional, mostly due to mechanical failure. It is a major security lapse because the CCTV footage has provided much needed help to the police and investigating agencies during terrorist strikes in various segments of the country. This very footage has helped he police in identifying person or persons who had planted the bombs which had resulted in death of civilians and damage to public and Government property. It is a serious lapse and that too in Jammu and Kashmir which has remained on terror radar during the last over 20 years. God forbid if the militants, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, had carried out any gun, grenade or bomb attacks as has happened in the past it would be impossible to get any footage from the CCTVs as most of them were lying defunct. Reports have revealed that 38 out of 43 CCTVs in Jammu City, 27 out of 33 cameras in holy town of Katra and all 25 CCTVs on Katra-Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan track were out of order. The only silver lining was the Jammu Railway station where 14 out of 16 CCTVs were working. As far as the most sensitive city of Srinagar is concerned at least 90 per cent of the installed CCTVs are nonfunctional. If reports are to be believed the police authorities were told about the major security lapse in the shape of most of the CCTVs having become nonfunctional and have started informing the company, that had been assigned the task of installing CCTVs,to repair them immediately. Well the company may remove the defect but the Government and the police authorities need to work out an agreement with the company under which it would be mandatory for the company to ensure round the clock working of the CCTVs for which their experts be made to carry out regular inspection of each CCTV. In a state where the threat of terror is quite high and where the security grid continues to be weak, where militants keep on looking for an opportunity for sneaking into the state from across the LOC where the policing and working of intelligence agencies call for further improvement, and where the overall environment was not favourable for implementing strict operations against militants the Government and the security agencies have to bank on sensors, floodlights on the border and on CCTVs within the civilian areas in the state. The Government and the security agencies should have, by now, learnt a lesson or two from the Hyderabad explosions. Unfortunately they have not and if they have responded to the explosions it has been somewhat delayed. Hence the Government and its agencies need to keep their anti-terror apparatus in order and keep on framing and reframing their counter insurgency plans and operations failing which the state may suffer another spell of bloodshed and devastation. |
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