Minister orders probe, calls situation ‘life and death’
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 28: The National Conference (NC) Member of the Legislative Assembly from Poonch, Aijaz Ahmad Jan, accused the government of favouritism in the allotment of buses used to evacuate residents from border areas during Operation Sindoor.
During Zero Hour, Aijaz congratulated the Army for its “excellent job” in rescuing civilians during the operation. “In the difficult situation they saved their people. They have done a commendable job in the,” he said.
However, he alleged that the response from the concerned department was “completely wrong” and “misleading.” “Mr. Speaker, at 1:20 in the night, the first bomb fell just 200 feet away from my house. Sixteen people, including children aged four and five, were martyred. The whole area was shaken,” Aijaz said.
“People had to carry their belongings-grass, paddy, and their families-on tractors to reach safer locations. It was the responsibility of the SRTC department to provide vehicles.”
The MLA demanded strict action, saying, “I request the minister to suspend everyone from top to bottom. An FIR should be filed against this department.” He said that while the record claimed that two buses were sent to Arnia, only one vehicle (JK02Y1114) was actually there-and it was not from Jammu but already stationed locally.
“You will be shocked to know that this department diverted vehicles meant for border evacuation to Kishtwar, where 15 buses were sent to their own constituencies,” Aijaz alleged. He said, “In my constituency, no bus arrived. I called the MD 200 times. Our youth had to use their private vehicles to rescue families. One collector even took Rs. 35,000 from a family to shift them just two kilometres.”
Visibly emotional, Aijaz said, “children faced unbearable hardships. Mr. Chief Secretary, did not you have any responsibility? Those who stood ready to sacrifice their lives could not even get a vehicle.” He submitted a list of vehicle numbers to the Speaker, claiming he could provide full details of where each bus was diverted. “Not a single bullet was fired in those areas, yet the vehicles were sent there. In contrast, my border constituency received none.”
He further alleged that new vehicles were being deployed to distant areas “where ribbons are being cut” instead of to the border villages most in need. “My area, close to the border where children can’t even reach schools safely, didn’t get a single SRTC vehicle,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Transport minister Satish Sharma acknowledged the difficulties faced during Operation Sindoor. “It was a matter of life and death. At that moment, constituencies or political boundaries did not matter-missiles were flying over our heads,” he said.
The minister explained that vehicle demands from district administrations were fulfilled immediately wherever possible but agreed to an investigation into the matter. “We cannot even imagine what would happen in a full-scale war tomorrow,” he said.
Referring to similar past crises, the minister noted, “In Chamb, we had to migrate 70,000 people because of climatic conditions. The national highway was closed for 22 days, and thousands of vehicles were stuck. This is the situation.”
Assuring corrective measures, he added, “A new fleet of buses is arriving, and most of them will be deployed to border areas like Rajouri. The government is committed to improving response mechanisms and ensuring no such lapses occur again.”
Concluding his remarks, MLA Aijaz said, “We cannot go back to where people are being killed. I request the government to immediately start five buses in my district. We cannot change the border, but if the situation worsens, these buses can help save lives.”
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