AIP Supremo and MLA Langate Er Rasheed has termed the decision to vacate the land at Tatoo ground and elsewhere by army nothing but a drama and an eyewash. He reacted sharply to the proposal of providing alternate land to army in Kupwara and added that government needs to understand that Kupwara is already a highly militarized zone. Er Rasheed said “The tourist destinations of Kupwara and other prestigious offices and buildings are already under army’s control.
While whole state needed demilitarization, Kupwara should have been the top most priority but to befool world community government decided to vacate some land at Tatoo ground and elsewhere but the reliable sources reveal that top brasses have been pressurizing district administration Kupwara to provide alternate land at Sogam, Cherkout, Hirri and Panzgam for the displaced army. It would have been appreciable to reduce the number of troops but shifting the huge garrison from Tatoo ground to Kupwara would mean nothing except further complicating the issues and adding to the miseries of Kupwara people.” Er Rasheed added “While other districts have been getting prestigious institutions like medical college, IIT, IIM, AIIMS Kupwara doesn’t has even a nursing college or a railway line. It seems that rather than resolving problems of this most effected district due to turmoil of past 25 years government has decided to convert this district into a huge garrison, but all these measures will be, resisted strongly.” (KNS)