Strikes across LoC: Punjab border area evacuation on; 1,000 villages affected - Hindustan Times
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Strikes across LoC: Punjab border area evacuation on; 1,000 villages affected

Hindustan Times | By, Amritsar
Sep 29, 2016 08:33 PM IST

With the Indian army conducted surgical strikes on terror launchpads along Line of Control (LoC), resulting in significant casualties, on Thursday, Punjab villages near the Internation Border (IB) have been told to evacuate, an official from the district administration confirmed to Hindustan Times.

With the Indian army conducted surgical strikes on terror launchpads along Line of Control (LoC), resulting in significant casualties, on Thursday, Punjab villages near the internation border (IB) have been told to evacuate, an official from the district administration confirmed to Hindustan Times.

Residents of Naushehra Dhalla village near the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district pack their belongings for evacuation after in view of a strike across the LoC in Kashmir by the Indian Army, on Thursday.(Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)
Residents of Naushehra Dhalla village near the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district pack their belongings for evacuation after in view of a strike across the LoC in Kashmir by the Indian Army, on Thursday.(Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Nearly 1,000 villages in six districts of the state are being evacuated partially or fully.

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Amritsar DC Varun Roojam conducted a meeting to discuss further plan of action following orders of the evacuation within a 10 km radius from the IB.

Also read | Villagers tense but ‘not scared’

Residents of Naushehra Dhalla village near the border area in an evacuation bus, in Amritsar district on Thursday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)
Residents of Naushehra Dhalla village near the border area in an evacuation bus, in Amritsar district on Thursday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Messages have been conveyed to village sarpanches and local officers to start the evacuation process as soon as possible.

Border Security Force (BSF) has put the IB on further alert after the surgical strikes. Along with deployment of more forces along the border, the BSF has restricted movement for the evening retreat ceremony.

Also read | Retreat ceremony on Attari-Wagah border called off

A patient being taken out of the civil hospital emergency ward in Pathankot following the administration’s orders to keep emergency wards ready for any eventuality. (Vinay Dhingra/HT Photo)
A patient being taken out of the civil hospital emergency ward in Pathankot following the administration’s orders to keep emergency wards ready for any eventuality. (Vinay Dhingra/HT Photo)

In Pathankot, border evacuation was scheduled to start as transportation was being sent to border villages. The evacuated people would be lodged at gurdwaras and banquet halls.

Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has directed the chief secretary and director general of police to ask the deputy commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to oversee the entire evacuation process in the six border districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.

Also read | Punjab in emergency mode, chief secy told to release Rs 1 cr to border dist DCs

Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal presiding over an emergency meeting at his official residence in Chandigarh on Thursday. (Photo: CMO)
Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal presiding over an emergency meeting at his official residence in Chandigarh on Thursday. (Photo: CMO)
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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    A principal correspondent, Aseem Bassi is the bureau chief at Amritsar. He covers politics, Indo-Pak border, gurdwara politics, crime, border trade and civic issues.

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