JAMMU, FEBRUARY 12: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said that there is no place for opposition against India or tricolor in Jammu and Kashmir and his administration with the support of Central government is working to dismantle the terrorism eco-system in the Union Territory.
“Over the past two-and-a-half months, the campaign against terrorism saw many a foreign terrorists getting killed. I have told many times that it is an ecosystem. The militants are killing innocent or hurling a grenade at the behest of someone who is providing logistic support and misleading and motivating them.
“The operations against the terrorists are ongoing, attempts are also being made to further bring down the recruitment and provide jobs to the youth. We are working to destroy the whole eco-system of terrorism,” the Lt Governor said.
He said the system was put in place where not a single penny from J&K government or centre is going to a person linked with terrorism. “We are working on it and have a lot of success in this regard. If there is still some leakage, the work is to cover that and we will be successful in it.”
However, Sinha said their goal is not that all the terrorists are eliminated but provide a peaceful atmosphere to the people like other parts of the country where people live peacefully.
“The day when the people start living like their counterparts in Haryana and Bhubaneswar the goal is achieved…the goal is big but we are moving forward in that direction. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are monitoring the situation and reviewing it on a monthly basis,” he said.
Comparing the prevailing situation with the past, the Lt Governor said “there is a magical change in Jammu and Kashmir. Stone pelting has become a history and the shopkeepers are not forced to close their shops to anyone under fear. The shopkeepers are telling me that they have not witnessed such golden days. The progress is good and we will achieve our goal.”
He also announced increase in the ex-gratia relief payable to the next of kin of Indian army soldiers hailing from Jammu and Kashmir who died in the line of their duty to Rs 25 lakh.
Earlier, this relief was Rs 5 lakh in case of those who died while performing their duty in J&K and Rs 4 lakh who died elsewhere.
Announcing this while talking to media persons here, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said that he had received representation from various quarters to enhance this relief as per other parts of the country, Lt Governor said that “the file was in progress and the Chief Secretary told me that it will take two more days’’. “However, I directed him to start providing Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of two soldiers who died in avalance in Arunachal Pradesh and whose bodies have reached here today,’’ he added while paying homage to the deceased soldiers.
He also announced re-opening of all the schools and colleges in the Union Territory in next two weeks. Referring to his latest review of the COVID-19 situation on Friday, he said that the “time has come for the opening of schools and colleges …We are opening classes from 9 to 12 from Monday, and the rest of the classes from next week.
While the classes from 9-12 functioned for some time over the past two years of pandemic, the lower classes have lost the entire two years due to closure of the schools and his administration would work with all the stakeholders to overcome the losses to ensure that the children have better future, he said, adding that he has empowered the deputy commissioners, educational department and divisional commissioners of both the regions to take a decision on this. (Agencies)
