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India puts border states on high alert

Last Updated 29 September 2016, 18:35 IST
Following the surgical strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control (LoC), officials have put birder states of Punjab, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir on high alert.

People living within 10 kms of the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have been asked to shift to safer places and schools ordered to be shut till further notice in the wake of surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army across

The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony at Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar in Punjab has also been closed for public today, officials said.

"We have asked border villagers living along IB and LoC to shift to safer area as a precautionery measure," Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh told PTI.

All people living within 7 to 8 kms of India-Pak border have been asked to move to safer areas and schools in 10 kms area to be ordered to close down till further notice, he said.

These directions have been passed on to people living along IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and along LOC in Rajouri and Poonch, officials said.

In some areas of R S Pura, the movement of the border residents to safer places has already begun.

"We have passed directions to them to move to safer places and some of them have started to move to the houses of their relatives in safer places," a Police officer said.

Army has started evacuating people living in the adjoining areas in Noushera belt of Rajouri anticipation of a possible retaliation by Pakistani troops, officials said.

In Punjab too, people residing in villages within 10 kms of the International Border were asked to shift to safter places. Six districts of the state share border with Pakistan.

The schools in the border areas have also been asked to remain shut until further orders, they said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has put the entire government and political machinery in an emergency mode, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Badal over telephone today to request him to immediately start the process of evacuation of the people residing in the villages falling within 10 kms of the International Border in view of the escalating situation, the spokesman said.

Badal has directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to ask the concerned Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to oversee the entire evacuation process in the border districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.

The Punjab Chief Minister directed the DCs to identify suitable locations for setting up camps and ensure that none of the residents being evacuated was put to any sort of inconvenience, the spokesman said.

Badal also personally spoke to the Cabinet Ministers and MLAs concerned to camp in these border districts and keep close liaison with the district administration to ensure safe movement of residents.

He also directed the Chief Secretary to immediately release Rs one crore each to all the Deputy Commissioners of six border districts to meet any exigency.

Meanwhile, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam said border residents in Amritsar district have been asked to remain vigilant and prepare for any eventuality.

Gujarat

High alert has been sounded in Gujarat in the wake of the surgical strikes carried out by the Army on terror bases across the LoC, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.

The state shares land and sea boundary with Pakistan.

"Following surgical strikes, high alert has been sounded in entire Gujarat, specially the border districts police and coastal police stations have been alerted to increase vigil after our armed forces' successful operation," he said.

Three districts of the state-- Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan-- share boundary with the neighbouring country.

"Our officers are in constant touch with the officials of BSF and Coast Guard. The BSF and Coast Guard are extremely vigilant on the land border and sea coast respectively. Police in border districts have already stepped up patrolling," Patel said.

The coastal police have also been kept on high alert and have been asked to vigilantly monitor the movement in the sea, Patel said.

"The Centre has given us a directive to evacuate people from villages within 10 kms area of the border with Pakistan. But none of our villages are located in 10-km range from the border (due to Rann of Kutch). Our villages are almost 25 km away from the border,' Patel said.

The state Home Department has also asked the entire state police to be on alert so that no anti-India elements can take benefit of the situation, he said.

"We also request the people of the state to alert police or government regarding any suspicious activity and help the state maintain law and order," Patel said.


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(Published 29 September 2016, 13:45 IST)

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