Army, police, paramilitary brace for civic polls in J&K

DGP Dilbagh Singh has assured the candidates that despite challenging circumstances, they will be provided conducive security environment.

The Centre has begun sending 400 companies of additional troops to Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming polls to urban local bodies and panchayats while the Governor has been briefed separately by Lt Gen A.K. Bhat, GOC 15 Corps, about the security arrangements to be in place especially in South Kashmir for conducting these polls.

Earlier, state police top brass along with senior CRPF officers on Thursday reviewed the security preparedness for these polls. Raj Bhawan is closely monitoring the situation unfolding in Kashmir valley ahead of the polls. Reports said that the Governor has asked the Army, paramilitary and state police top brass to hold meetings in every district of the Valley to boost confidence among the candidates who are in the fray.

Later briefing the media, state police chief Dilbagh Singh said that there is synergy between police and paramilitary forces. Despite having challenging circumstances, he expressed hope that they will provide conducive security environment for the candidates in the entire Valley.

Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam earlier told the media that concerns regarding the security of poll staff, candidates and the common man would be addressed and 400 companies of additional Central forces are arriving for this specific purpose.

Police have already said that they will provide 2 to 3 policemen to each candidate depending upon the threat perception to each of them in Kashmir valley. “We may provide more security to the candidates in all the vulnerable areas of South Kashmir and we have decided to address all the security issues of the candidates,” a senior police officer operating in South Kashmir told The Sunday Guardian.

While there is very little enthusiasm in the Valley especially in South Kashmir regarding these polls, the state government has promised official accommodation too besides security to all the candidates who will contest these polls.

The state administration has already said that after the completion of the election process, the state will get Rs 4,335 crore which have been withheld as the state governments previously failed to conduct these elections. Giving break-up of the funds, the Chief Secretary in a press conference said that Rs 3,029 crore is pending for panchayat bodies while Rs 1,306 crore is pending for municipal bodies in the state.

There have been a number of top-level meetings held between the DGP, GOC 15 Corps and officers of BSF and CRPF in different areas of Kashmir valley ahead of the polls.