Srinagar May 3: In a significant development, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Thursday said it was ready to remove any bunker that has become an irritant for locals in any residential area provided Jammu and Kashmir police approaches the paramilitary force to do so.
In the backdrop of continuous removal of CRPF bunkers from Srinagar, there has been a growing demand from the people that bunkers located inside the residential areas should be removed. Inspector of General (IG) of CRPF Sudhir Pratap Singh told Greater Kashmir that they are not removing the bunkers on their own. “We are aiding the police. Once they are ready to remove any bunker we do that,” IG said. “This is first time that I am being told that bunkers in civilian areas are cause of concern, let the people approach police we will sort out the things so that people are not put to any discomfort.”
Police said that incase the people of any locality face any problem with the bunker, they will try to remove that for the ease of the people. “Let the people approach us, we will help them out. There is nothing to worry,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar Syed Aashiq Hussain Bukhari told Greater Kashmir.
SSP disclosed that strategy is being chalked out for the removal of more bunkers from Srinagar. “Yet it has not been decided which bunker would be removed in near future, but strategy is being chalked out to remove more bunkers,” Bukhari said.
Data available with the police and other security agencies reveals that there are at least 13 such places in Srinagar, where the CRPF bunkers have been established inside residential areas. The bunkers in these residential colonies were established following eruption of militancy.
These bunkers according to the locals have remained the cause of conflict between the forces and the people in the area. Locals say that as the removal of bunkers was going on from road sides in Srinagar, the bunkers inside the residential areas also need to be removed at the earliest.
The residential areas where bunkers exist include Karan Nagar, Shivpora, Batamaloo, Bilal Colony Soura, Malbagh Soura, Awantabhawan, Viharnag Nowshehra and many other areas.
Most of the residents of the localities where the bunkers are inside the residential colonies complain that it is very difficult for them to move out in the evening and early morning hours because of the bunkers. “They close the link roads with razor wire in the evening,” Mushtaq Ahmad, a Karan Nagar resident said. “It is also very difficult to move out in the morning till the wire is not removed.”
The residents of Bilal Colony Soura said that men as well as women folk are afraid of moving outside their houses because of the presence of paramilitary forces in the evening. “During evening time, these forces erect concertina wires on the roads and halter the movement of traffic the colony,” said Muhammad Shafi resident of Bilal Colony Soura.
In Srinagar, according to police records, there were a total of 406 bunkers of security forces. About 42 have been removed in phased manner and the process was going on.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 3 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 3 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 May 2012 00:00:00 IST