NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said constant and continuous ceasefire violations and heavy shelling by Pakistan near the Line of Control (LoC) was among other factors to blame for the avalanche. He added that efforts are underway with a snow and avalanche lab to map and identify avalanche prone areas and said the army was withdrawing troops from such areas but some of them were vulnerable to insurgency.
As many as 21 persons, including 15 army men, have been killed since last week due to avalanches and snowfall in Kashmir valley. Last year, on February 3, ten soldiers of 19 Madras Regiment were buried alive in a deadly avalanche in the Siachen glacier.
"Ceasefire violations and use of heavy weapons by Pakistani troops are leading to loosening of soil, hereby creating danger of a landslide. Global warming is also leading to cracks in glaciers," the Army chief said after paying homage to Major Amit Sagar, who was killed in an avalanche on January 25 at Sonmarg.
Rawat added that parts of Jammu and Kashmir have been witnessing heavy snowfall over the past 72 hours, and is likely to witness similar conditions for the next two-three days. Kashmir has witnessed record snowfall this year.
"Due to global warming, glaciers are witnessing cracks. There are avalanches in areas which had not reported such cases earlier. Avalanches have occurred in Dawar areas, Machil sectors. We have erected some posts for counter-infiltration. Some posts are very near to enemy posts,” General Rawat added.
"There have been a lot of ceasefire violations and heavy weapons too are being used. Many times it affects the soil and loosens it up. When there is a heavy snowfall on such loose soil and if there is a slope, it triggers danger of an avalanche," General Rawat said.
Our soldiers are facing it (the danger). Their task is counter-infiltration and despite the hardships they are doing their duty. I wish to assure you (the soldiers). You have been doing your duty with dedication (but) we have to deal with infiltration, he said.
General Rawat also pointed out that the Army has been taking the help of a Chandigarh based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to map avalanche-prone areas.
Rawat also appealed to families of the jawans who were victims of the avalanche to bear with them as "weather is playing a spoilsport in bringing back the bodies of their dear ones."
Meanwhile army sources claimed that weather in Srinagar, Gurez and Machhal continue to remain packed and efforts are on by army aviation and Indian Air Force helicopters to evacute the five personnel rescued at Machhal and transport the mortal remains of the Gurez martyrs to Srinagar.