Cross-Loc strikes: Evacuation begins in Ferozepur

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, September 29

Evacuation has started in villages along the India-Pakistan border here as people were told to vacate their houses by Thursday evening.

Schools within 10-km radius of the border have been asked to shut down for an indefinite period till further orders. The situation became tense after India launched surgical strikes targeting terror launch pads across the LoC.

Deputy Commissioner DPS Kharbanda has cancelled the leave of all civil staff and has asked those on leave to report back immediately. All kinds of strikes or union activity have been banned. The DC said they had asked the people residing in villages within 10 km of the border to evacuate to safer places by evening as a precautionary measure.

The administration has also gone into an overdrive to work on the contingency plans and process has been started to set up relief camps. The health department has been asked to keep adequate stock of medicine and other emergency drugs.

The revenue department has also been asked to arrange stock of food and emergency supplies. Meanwhile, the build-up can be witnessed along the borders as bunkers have sprung up. A lot of movement of army vehicles and other equipment was witnessed on Wednesday night. The owners of marriage place owners, dharamshalas and community places have been asked to keep their premises vacant to set up relief camps. Intelligence agencies are keeping an eye on every movement along the border. Surveillance has been spruced up along the entire stretch of zero line.

The BSF officials said the Retreat ceremony had not been cancelled but they were silent when asked whether the people would be allowed to witness the drill.

Kulwant Singh of Kamalewala village said they had no choice but to shift to their relatives’ place. “We have not been given time to collect our belongings as the administration has asked us to vacate by 5 pm,” he said.