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Harsh weather likely to damage LoC fencing

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: The Indian army fears that recent snow and avalanches might damage the 700-kilometer long barbed fence along the Line of Control, but high-tech surveillance equipment will not be affected.

Southern Kashmir is worst affected by avalanches and is cut from the rest of the valley. It is suspected that a number of militants had been killed due to avalanches.

There has been a significant drop in infiltration into held Kashmir by suspected militants over the last one year.

Indian Army’s Deputy Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Brigadier Bikram Singh told journalists that avalanches might damage the fence but it was unlikely that the situation would help militants. The fence was built in just 12 months soon after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire. The Indian army claims that it has brought down infiltration by 80 percent.

Brigadier Singh, who was the Indian Army’s spokesman during Kargil war, said that there were a number of other factors which had accounted for a drop in infiltration.

“The fence is backed by several other measures including the presence of troops and sophisticated surveillance equipment which are designed to withstand harsh weather,” he said. Home Minister Shivraj Patil told parliament that the entire 2000-kilometre long stretch would be fenced in by 2006 and that work on a 1682-km long stretch had already been completed at a cost of Rs 4.20 billion.

The Indian Army had recently announced that it had fenced off the entire stretch along the Jammu sector. The 54-km-long Gulmarg-Uri stretch was fenced off last year. Work on high altitude terrain of Gulmarg and Gurez will be completed by June 2005. The project has cost more than Rs 4 billion so far. Last year, India spent Rs 1.55 billion on the project and announced Rs 2.33 billion this year.

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