SrinagarThe state government has declared thousands of kanals of state land as firing range in Akhnoor district of Jammu for ten years.
In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 9 of the Maneuvers, Field Firing and Artillery Practice Act 1938, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir hereby declare the area (thousands of kanals) situated in erstwhile Tehsil Akhnoor, District Jammu, as an area for purposes of the said subsection for a period of ten years from with effect from 03 June 2014, reads SRO-439 issued by R K Goyal, Principal Secretary to Government Home Department which is headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Slowly, the government has granted thousands of kanals of state land for the purpose of the artillery firing after refusing to renew the lease of 10 firing ranges in state which expired in 2014.
Of its total 66 firing ranges, the Army had been operating at least a dozen in Jammu and Kashmir, which is the highest in any state.
On 8 June, the government declared more than 82 kanals of land to be used by army for firing and artillery use in Udhampur.
In March this year, the state government declared nearly 5 lakh kanals of state land as firing range in cold desert of Leh in states Ladakh region, bordering with China, for five years
Earlier, government notified a large chunk of land in Ramban to be used for firing and artillery purposes by army.
Sources said that the Army has been provided large chunk of land after government refused to renew the lease of 10 firing ranges in state which expired in 2014including Tosa Maidan meadow.
The Army had been using the meadow for artillery firing range for over five decades since 1964 and the government decision against extending the lease followed stiff public resentment.
Nearly 50 residents living around the Tosa Maidan meadow are said to have lost their lives while hundreds of others were rendered crippled for life allegedly to stray or unexploded shells left by the army.
As soon as army vacated Tosa Maidan, it sought a new spot for lease: another meadow called Bajpathri in Bandipora which is also surrounded by tiny villages. The plan, after protests, was shelved along with a similar proposal to set up an artillery firing range near the Line of Control at Tulail, in Gurez area of the north Kashmir district. The Tosa Maidan meadow officially opened to public as a tourist destination last year.
Meanwhile, the state government has ordered army to take all possible measures to prevent loss of life, live stock, public and private property as well as damage to standing crops during field firing and artillery practice in Akhnoor.
The Range shall not be used for field firing practice during school examination, harvest or sowing season and on public and gazetted holidays, governments home department said in a notification issued here.
It also said that the Army shall make adequate arrangements regarding medical facilities including doctors and ambulances during the days notified for firing. The government has also ordered
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