Arrangements in place in case of any urgency on border: J K govt

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday assured the residents living along the Indo-Pak border that necessary arrangements have been put in place for their safety in case of any exigency on the border.

"We want to assure the people of the border areas that all necessary arrangements have been put in place at the camps setup for their safety in case of any exigency," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, while interacting with the border residents of Suchetgarh area.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Sunil Gupta and Sub-Divisional Magistrate, R S Pura, Vikas Kundal, while apprising the Deputy Chief Minister about the arrangements being made at the camps, said necessary instructions have been given to the officers concerned to shift the people of the villages falling within 10 kilometres from the International Border in case of any emergency.

Singh was informed that eight camps were functional with adequate arrangements and space for additional six camps have been identified in case of the requirement. The Deputy Chief Minister directed the administration to maintain a close coordination with the people and to provide every possible help in case of any emergency.

He also asked them to provide 24X7 helpline numbers connected to the control rooms to the people. Directing officials to put in place all basic facilities at the camps, Singh urged the camp officers to maintain their presence and ensure availability of ration, power supply, drinking water, security and sanitation.

He stressed on close coordination among all departments concerned to provide basic facilities to the people. Singh directed the civil administration to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedure while evacuating people from the border areas.

PHE Minister Sham Lal Choudhary, who represents the Suchetgarh constituency, also assured support of the government to the people of the border areas and appealed them to cooperate with the administration during "this tough time". Later, Deputy Chief Minister visited the camps setup in R S Pura to take stock of the arrangements put in place.