'Army does not affect traffic in Jammu and Kashmir', State Defense Minister's written reply in Parliament

The controversy over the convoy of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir, affecting civilian traffic, has got a written reply from the State Defense Minister Sanjay Seth in Parliament. The Central Government on Friday told the Parliament that the Indian Army has laid down elaborate procedures for the movement of convoys. In which special attention is given to the friendly steps of the people.

In a written reply to the question, Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth said, "In the movement of Army or para-military forces, normal traffic is stopped many a time on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway," but it is not factual that the Army stops or creates hurdles in the way of normal traffic or ambulance movements.

Sanjay Seth said that the Indian Army does not disturb or stop the movement of civilians. He said that there is regular movement of convoys between Jammu and Srinagar and for this, the army follows special procedures, in which road opening parties are sent to prevent attacks on convoys for security reasons.

He also said that during the movement of convoys, the traffic is temporarily controlled at a place where other roads meet NH-44. However, ambulances are always given priority and they are never stopped anywhere.

The Minister, in response to another question, said that no decision has been taken by the government to construct a memorial at the places of cremation of the martyred soldiers. Instead, the National War Memorial has been constructed in Delhi, in which the names of all the martyred soldiers are inscribed. He said that there is no proposal to make any change in this policy.

Apart from this, Seth further informed that under the scheme of the Technology Development Fund (TDF), till date, Rs 120 crore has been allocated (from January 2023 to date) and Rs 43.89 crore has been disbursed. He said a total of 16 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) and 20 Startups have been assisted with their projects under this grant-in-aid scheme.