Srinagar, May 27 (KNO): Chairman Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat Wednesday urged upon government to destroy all the unexploded artillery shells in Tosamaidan meadow as these live shells are posing a great threat to local population and visiting tourists.
In a statement issued to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that blast in Tosamaidan on Tuesday is an ample proof that live shells are still lying scattered in Tosamaidan, which is unsafe for people visiting the area.
“RTI Movement expresses sympathy with the family of Mohammad Asif Wani a class 9th student from Beeru area who got seriously injured in a blast on Tuesday in Tosamaidan. In August 2018, another man died of a similar blast and three other persons were injured. On the other hand Government in 2015 claimed that meadow was cleared of all the live shells as Army conducted operation Fallah in the area.
We filed a petition in National Green Tribunal (NGT) and appealed for sanitizing the area but Gov t took no concrete steps and we lost a precious life in 2018 and now Asif is critical. We appeal LG C G Murmu and Advisor Baseer Khan to intervene,” reads the statement.
Pertinently, RTI movement had filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about the presence of live shells in Tosamaidan and after hearing the petition NGT had directed Ministry of Defence to ensure that the meadow was clean before August 10, 2016.
“Unfortunately this order was not at all respected and not a single team visited Tosamaidan until the whole meadow became inaccessible due to 2016 snowfall. The blast that killed a civilian in 2018 and fresh blast that has critically injured Asif exposes the claims of Government and Ministry of Defence. RTI Movement will again knock doors of NGT,” Dr Raja Muzaffar added.
He also demanded that all the victims of Tosamaidan (dead and injured) should be adequately compensated and rehabilitated as well –(KNO)