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| Adopt mechanism to stop paralyzing peoples’ life during VVIP movement | | | Gareeb Dass
Jammu | May 28
Majority of people in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir continue to suffer whenever there is VIP or VVIP movement in any part of the state. Even if a VVIP from Delhi has to visit forward areas in Kupwara, Uri, Poonch or Rajouri, not on foot, not by cars, but by helicopters the two capital cities in the state turn into a fortress. Security forces, equipped with sophisticated weapons, are deployed in strength on the city roads.Partial restrictions are imposed on the movement of passenger transport services as if the security forces are in search of some criminals who were chasing the VVIPs who are visiting areas over 100 to 240 kms from the capital stations.
This is what people have witnessed during the series of visits to the state by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi and of late when President of India,Ms Pratibha Patil visited Srinagar,Jammu and Bhaderwah.The President had to address the convocation of the SKUAST in the Jammu university auditorium.Restrictions on the movement of traffic were imposed in many parts of the city and the flyover remained out of bounds for motorists.Amazingly there were no restrictions on the movement of cars and buses between Bahau fort and Panama Chowk when the President was in Zorawar stadium of the university which was less than a furlong from the Army transit camp.
Not to talk of VVIPs from Delhi traffic stands disrupted whenever Chief minister,Ghulam Nabi Azad,is on the move in the winter and the summer capitals of the state.Movement of passenger transport is stopped from Miransahib to Jammu city whenever the Chief Minister is to fly from Jammu to Delhi or from Jammu to Srinagar.It is again stopped when he has to return to Jammu either from Srinagar or from Delhi.The result is that people are left fuming and fretting.They curse the leaders without realising that the militaancy related violence had placed an added burden on the shoulders of the security forces.They have to be extra careful in ensuring incident free journey of the VVIPs or VIPs.The number of traffic policemen swells all of a sudden on the city routes from where the VIPs,including senior functionaries of the police and Army,are supposed to lead the motorcade.
Many have nostalgic memories of those days when not only the VVIPs from India but from foreign countries would visit Kashmir.Many remember to this day the histroic visit of then Soviet union leaders,Kruschev and Bulganin to Srinagar.Not many have forgotten the grandeur of the river processions in Srinagar.VVIPs mingling with people,waving to them and speaking to them from close quarters.The case diferent now.It is now mandatory for VIPs to address people 40 feert away and behind the bullet proof screen.Prior to the rise of ilitancy normal life would not get paralysed during the tours of VIPs.
Yes the new situation has made it mandatory for the Government authorities,especially the police and the paramilitary forces,to take in hand strict measures for ensuring incident free trip of these VVIPs to the state.But these measures should not restrict free movement of people and motorists.They should not make living highly inconvenient.The Government needs to evolve a sound mechanism which could prevent normal life from getting paralysed.This mechanism has to be worked out when hoards of VIPS and VVIPs are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir soon after the schedule for the Assembly election was announced.The concerned Government agencies need to review the entire system of proving security cover to the VVIPs and VIPs,including the chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues besides top leaders of political parties.
It is not a difficult exercise. A VVIP has to fly from Jammu airport to Poonch there is no need to impose restrictions on the movement of traffic in the city.A VVIP has to fly from Jammu or Srinagar Raj Bhawans to the airports the state authorities have to understand the folly of imposing restrictions on the traffic between Jammu and Akhnoor or between Jammu and R.S.Pora.If the VVIP has to fly from Srinagar airport to Kupwara or to Gulmarg or to Pahalgam there should be no need to stop movement of passenger transport services in Srinagar city. But the experts in the police and the intelligence agencies have a different perception. They have fears that if the movement of passenger transport services was not stopped someone among the passengers could fire a rocket on the helicopter carrying the VVIP from Srinagar to Kupwara or from Jammu to Poonch.They do not seem to reckon with the threat that could be posed by militants camping on the upper reaches in the farflung areas of Kashmir or Jammu.
Since the VIPs and VVIPs,visiting the state during the pre-poll campaign would belong to the Congress, the Congress headed state Government should take into consideration the adverse impact of the anger of people who could face a lot of inconvenience during their visit to Jammu and Kashmir. It could convert the pro-Congress vote bank into anger bank against the congress because people in the state no longer pine for shaking hands with leaders who do not have the stature of Nehru,Gandhi,Sardar Patel,Maulana Azad,Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan. |
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