Even as Union Home Minister Suhil Kumar Shinde has repeatedly insisted that the security forces cannot afford to lower their guard in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army has decided to relocate its key camp at the Pahalgam Golf course, which serves as a base camp for the security forces during the annual Amarnath Yatra.
The relocation, according to Army, will not have any negative impact on the security for the annual Hindu pilgrimage as the camp will be shifted to a nearby area.
“A meeting of top Army, Police and civilian officials chaired by Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the city-based 15 Corps was held at Pahalgam in South Kashmir on Thursday. The meeting discussed in detail the security issues related to the Amarnath Yatra,”said Army spokesman, Lt Col N N Joshi .
The spokesman said it was at the high-level meeting that the GOC gave the necessary directions for shifting the camp, which will be relocated to an alternate site offered by the administration.
He, however, sought to allay concerns that the relocation of the Army camp will have a negative impact on the security for the yatra.
“The Army camp would not be removed but shifted to a nearby place in the Pahalgam main market. It (camp) won’t be far-off from place where it was.
The soldiers stationed at Pahalgam Golf course would now be shifted to another location in the same area and it won’t have any kind of negative impact on security, especially during the Yatra,” he said.
Without disclosing the exact site of the relocated camp, Joshi pointed out that the Army was merely moving the soldiers from one location to another.
“Under no circumstances will the shifting of the camp compromise the security for yatris during the annual Amarnath pilgrimage.
Army presence will remain in the Pahalgam main market and it won’t be scaled down.”
“The camp in its new place would continue to be a base camp for security forces during the yatra period. The same kind of security would be provided to yatris as was being provided in previous years,” he added.
According to the spokesman, “The order for shifting the camp from the Pahalgam Golf course has been welcomed by the administration.
The civil administration had been repeatedly demanding relocation of the camp from the golf course”.
He said the local administration will now utilise the land thus vacated to carry out further development of the golf course so as to raise it to the international standards.
“It can attract national and international players,” Joshi said. Interestingly, the local administration, traders and business community had been pressing the Army to relocate its camp from the golf course for ensuring the hassle-free movement of the travellers flocking to the tourist hot spot.