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| Better road connectivity a way to control militancy | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, April 12: If the far-flung and inaccessible areas in the state are connected to main roads, militancy can be tackled to a large extent, feels R&B minister G M Saroori.The government was focussing in a big way on road construction in the state's remote and mountainous areas to check militancy, he added. He said once the roads were constructed, it would become easier for security forces to hunt down militants perched in the remote areas. This would not only create jobs for locals and bring development but also help wipe out terrorism, the minister added. He said of the nearly 2,200 road projects taken up by R&B department, 75 per cent were in remote and rural areas. "We are focussing more on roads in remote areas as they help in wiping out militancy from there by providing easy accessibility to security forces," he asserted. Saroori said the state government's mantra for road projects was wiping out militancy, creating jobs and boosting the economy, besides promoting tourism. Saroori said the Centre had included Jammu and Kashmir also in the package that was granted to northeast states for the construction of roads in insurgency-affected areas. The move to have road projects in remote and rural areas was also discussed with union road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath, he added.
"Now we are also focusing on roads in militancy-infested areas so that security forces reach there faster and the roads also boost the economy, provide jobs and bring development to the area," he said. The minister pointed out that road connectivity to remote areas like Sinthan, Anshan, Dachan, Marwah in Kishtwar district, Loran and Mandi in Poonch and many such areas in Rajouri, Doda, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua districts of the Jammu region and Kupwara, Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag, Bandipore, in Kashmir "has helped us in clearing the area of militants". He specifically mentioned vital road links like the 34 km-long link between Gool (in Reasi district of the Jammu region) with Kulgam (in south Kashmir), and the Kishtwar-Sinthan road (Jammu region).
"Both these roads are important from the security point of view because of the presence of militants in thick forests there. Militancy started waning as the road link came through," he said.
Saroori said the 84 km Mughal Road being built at a cost of Rs 639 crore would be one of the vital links between Kashmir and the twin districts of Rajouri-Poonch in the Jammu region. "The fair-weather road link is through and we will throw it open by June-July this year." This road too passes though thick mountainous forests which earlier offered a safe haven to militants, he said. Referring to the recently constructed Kishtwar-Anshan road, he said, "When I inaugurated the road, the people there were happy to see a bus for the first time. They had seen helicopters (used for security and evacuation purposes) but had not seen a bus." "You can imagine the remoteness of these areas where it takes a minimum of one day to reach the nearest motorable road," he said. Jammu and Kashmir state, most of which is tough and difficult mountainous terrain, has 25,000 km of roads, of which 12,000 km are fair-weather roads.
In the last financial year (2009-2010), the department has constructed 5,000 km of new roads at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
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