The Hindu : National : Unprecedented snowfall on LoC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005

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National

Unprecedented snowfall on LoC

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, FEB. 22 . The soldiers who have been involved in curbing deadly insurgency in Kashmir for 15 years are battling unprecedented weather conditions along the Line of Control (LoC).

The situation has arisen after 43 years in Kashmir.

The Officiating General Officer Commanding of 15 Corps, Maj. Gen. Raj Mehta said: "On the LoC our soldiers are battling unprecedented degrees of (weather-related) difficulties never before experienced in the last 43 years."

The 750-km-long LoC runs through the rugged Himalayan mountains.

"There are places in the (western) Uri sector where the accumulated snowfall level is touching 70 feet," he said.

The first proposed bus service between India and Pakistan on April 7 would pass through the Uri sector.

"In the Gulmarg sub-sector where our troops are operating, the snowfall level is 66 feet," Gen. Mehta said, adding "soldiers are fighting a battle of different kind."

Every night after a gap of 30 to 45 minutes soldiers are out with shovels and spades to remove snow from their bunkers.

"Otherwise they would be buried alive and no one would know what has happened," he said, adding that despite bad weather the troops were in "good cheer and continuing to do their military tasks."

Troops had been abandoning forward posts during winter months, but after intrusion by Pakistan-backed raiders in Kargil peaks in 1999 the Army had been manning the forward post round the year.

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