Warlike situation in Amritsar

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 29

Panic gripped the border belt of Amritsar district sharing boundaries with Pakistan following the evacuation orders announced through public address system today.

Situated just between 700 and 1,000 metre from the Indo-Pak Border, the residents of Ranian, Daoke, Kakkar, Dharial, Chak, Dharia, Pandhori, Bachiwind, Kawe and Manj villages said the existing situation reminded them of the wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil.

Amritsar DC Varun Roojam met the police and administrative officials to discuss further plan of action following orders of evacuation within 10 km radius of the international border. All schools have been shut and residents have been asked to move to safer places.

Bir Kaur, 75, said: "We had been uprooted thrice in the past. Now, that our families are hardly self-reliant, the same 'unpleasant' evacuation orders have been issued to displace us."

Ranian village sarpanch Kehar Singh said: "I have received no information from the administration about the alternative arrangements made to take care of the families of my village. After it was announced that the village should be vacated, people started feeling terrorised and I am helplessness."

Harbhej Singh, member in charge of Kakkar village, said the youth had decided to stay back. "This is sheer injustice. Whenever any border area development scheme is announced, we are ignored but when there's a crisis we are the first ones to be displaced," he said.