Rs 1 cr each for 6 border districts to provide relief

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 29

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here tonight that residents of 987 border villages were being evacuated following India’s surgical strike.

These villages include 300 in Ferozepur district, 290 (Gurdaspur), 137 (Amritsar), 135 (Tarn Taran), 60 (Fazilka) and 65 (Pathankot). The evacuees have been shifted to the villages of their relatives or friends or are being put up in makeshift relief camps in gurdwaras, deras, schools, marriage palaces and community halls.

The CM said adequate food, power backup, medical care and other amenities had been provided by the deputy commissioners of these districts in the camps. All schools in these villages have been closed and the government employees posted in the border districts — who had proceeded on leave — have been recalled.

"We have sanctioned Rs 1 crore each to the deputy commissioners in the border districts to ensure adequate relief material, including food," Badal said.

The state police have requisitioned 1,500 personnel from the reserve forces in the districts and the Punjab Armed Police to the border districts, said DGP Suresh Arora.

The evacuation was initiated early in the morning after Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal got a call from the Union Home Ministry. Badal said he then spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who asked him to immediately start the process to evacuate the border residents. A meeting of the state disaster response team was held early in the morning. Senior officers - one each from the civil administration and the police -- were despatched to the border districts to oversee the evacuation. DGP (Law and Order) HS Dhillon and Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Jagpal Sandhu have been stationed in Amritsar.

Badal said he had spoken to the MLAs in the constituencies in these districts to help shift villagers to the relief camps. An emergency meeting of the Cabinet was held late in the evening, where the ministers were given a briefing on the developments. The Cabinet passed a resolution lauding the PM for "giving a befitting reply" to Pakistan.

Asking the people of Punjab not to panic, the CM said the evacuation was a precautionary measure, adding that no time frame had been fixed for the villagers’ return.

Schools in border villages shut 

Abohar: The government has ordered the closure of schools falling within 10 km of the Indo-Pak border in six districts — Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Fazilka and Pathankot. The staff members have been directed to mark their presence in the respective block primary education office. The DEO said the schools which would be used for relief camps for border area families would also remain closed till further orders. OC

IB puts Railways on alert 

Patiala: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has told the railways authorities to be wary of phone calls seeking information regarding the deployment and movement of Army trains. Sources said the IB had mentioned that Pakistan intelligence operatives (PIOs) were trying to obtain security-related information from railway officials through phone calls made by persons posing as defence officers - using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and other methods. It was in July 2012 that the IB had first detected the PIOs' modus operandi to extract vital information related to the defence forces. TNS

Muktsar residents distribute sweets 

Muktsar: Though the Army action across the LoC has created fear among people along the Indo-Pak border, residents of Muktsar town have taken it as a reason to celebrate. Some elderly people distributed sweets on streets and main roads. Deepak Pal Sharma, a senior member of the Brahman Sabha, Muktsar, said, "This is good news for the nation that we have avenged the killing of our soldiers who recently attained martyrdom in Kashmir. Our government will have to give a befitting reply to Pakistan to teach them a lesson." They praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking this step and urged people not to panic and impose faith in both Centre and state governments. Meanwhile, locals have started amassing grocery items and making queues at fuel stations. TNS