Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 3: The Border Security Force (BSF) today launched digging work at forward village of Chechwal in Samba sector and found 20 feet more tunnel fitted with oxygen and fresh air pipes towards Indian forward village of Chechwal taking total length on this side of the International Border to 320 meters.
However, it still couldn’t detect exit point of the tunnel, which was being located since the tunnel was found on the evening of July 27 by a farmer.
The cranes and other machinery were used by the BSF today to dig further portion of the tunnel and try to find its exit route. Army engineers also joined the operation today.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the digging was executed about 20 feet ahead of last point of the tunnel on Indian side. The tunnel was detected at this place adding 20 feet more into the existing length of the tunnel. However, when the cranes dug the land 20 feet ahead further, they didn’t find the tunnel.
Sources said the digging would now continued to find exit of the tunnel.
PTI adds from Samba: Residents of border villages in Samba where an underground tunnel made by Pakistan has been detected are irked over the delay in dismantling the pathway saying it was affecting their crops.
Nothing has been done to dismantle the Pakistani tunnel in our border village even after its detection seven days ago. Our fears are increasing day by day due to the delays, village head of Chechwal Border hamlet Balbir Singh said.
He said that farming has also been hit in the villages through which the tunnel has passed.
Chechwal with a population of over 2,000 is located barely one kilometer from the International Border (IB) and 700 meters from the three-tier border fencing area.
Located 65 kms from Jammu city, the village has become a theater of unusual activity since the detection of the tunnel.
Another villager Banarasi Dass Sharma said they were worried over the BSF statement that they do not have expertise in dismantling the tunnel and they are yet to decide how to handle it. “This has demoralised us and was going to further hit our paddy farming this year,” he said.
The tunnel has been dug up by the BSF and is open at two to three places, which poses a threat to us, another villager Harnaam Singh said.
“Villagers have seen cross-border shelling, firing, infiltration of militants from Pakistan and subsequent encounters in the past but this new design of Pakistan appears to be more dangerous”, he added.
Residents of border villages like Gallar, Kukrenwala, Garkhal, Pargwal, Chinore farm, Abdullian, Suchetgarh, Jabowal, Korotana located close to IB in Samba sector are also worried that such tunnels exist in their areas.
The tunnel was detected after an area caved-in in a straight line at two-three places due to rains near border fencing near Chillayari Border Out Post (BoP) of BSF along International Border (IB) in Samba sector.
The tunnel at a depth of 25-ft has been dug out between two sides along IB on India’s Chillayari BoP and Pakistan’s Lumbriyal BoP. It had air supply through a two-inch pipe. The tunnel is 300-m upto border fencing and 100-m beyond the fencing into this side of the border.
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