Operation launched to dispose scattered shells in Rajouri areas

Rajouri, May 12: Aimed towards safeguarding lives of civilians in areas affected by cross-border heavy artillery shelling, the Indian Army and Jammu & Kashmir police have launched a major area clearance operation.  The operation, army said, aims to identify and neutralize live artillery shells fired by Pakistan that are scattered in civilian areas, posing a deadly threat to innocent lives.

Officials said that the Indian Army and J&K police teams are working tirelessly to meticulously trace the live shells, which are then being destroyed through controlled explosions by the Army's Bomb Disposal Squad.  "This initiative is a crucial step towards ensuring the safety of civilians in the affected areas, who have been living in fear of these unexploded shells." said Indian Army's Lieutenant Colonel, Amar heading Army's Bomb Disposal Squad. He said that the operation underscores the commitment of forces to protect the lives of innocent civilians.

The army further said that by clearing the areas of live shells, forces are working to prevent any further harm and restore a sense of security among the residents, said officer.  It has further been stated that five to six heavy artillery shells have been destroyed on Monday with more than one dozen others have been traced and will be destroyed. Jaswant Singh, a local resident of shelling affected areas while considering live artillery shells as grave risk for them said that destroying all live shells can cause heavy loss of life and property and thus destruction of these is very important.