Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Dec 23: Conc-eding much pending demand of the Army, the Government has granted Garhi Field Firing Range (FFR) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district to the Army for field firing and practice for a period of 10 years.
An order to this effect has been issued by Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department, RK Goyal.
“The Government has declared village Garhi in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district as the area for the purpose of field firing and practice by the Army for a period of 10 years from the date of issue of notification,” official sources told the Excelsior.
This will come as a major relief for the Army, which had to go outside the State, mainly in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for practice firing and training in the absence of extension of lease of 10 firing ranges in all three regions of the State including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
Excelsior had on November 21 exclusively reported that the State Government has, in principle, agreed to extend lease of three field firing ranges for Army including two in Jammu region and one in Ladakh to ensure that training of the troops didn’t suffer. However, the Government was not ready to give any firing range to the Army in Kashmir, at present.
On its part, the top Army Commanders in the Civil-Military Liaison Conference in Srinagar, chaired by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, had demanded extension of lease of all 10 field firing ranges.
Sources said the Government could extend lease of Kalith firing range in Akhnoor and another firing range in Ladakh after sometime to fulfill requirement of the Army.
Sources said the Government had assured the Army Commanders that it was seized of the matter including problems faced by the troops in firing practice due to expiry of lease of 10 firing ranges in Jammu and Kashmir including five under the command of 16 Corps i.e. Jammu region, one under 15 Corps (Kashmir) and four under the jurisdiction of 14 Corps (Ladakh).
Fifty years lease period of 10 firing ranges had ended in November 2014 and since then the Army has been pursuing the case of their extension.
Ten firing ranges, whose lease period had expired, included Mahe (Nyoma, Leh) with an area of 67,953,97 hectares, Khurbarteng (Kargil), Tartar (Leh) having an area of 650 hectares an Kulum (Upshi) in Leh with an area of 24,858.5 hectares, all four in Ladakh region falling under 14 Corps, Tosa Maidan (Budgam) with an area of 27016 hectares in Kashmir under 15 Corps, Chorkhud in Poonch, an area of 10625 hectares, Kalith, Akhnoor (15,604 hectares), Rajouri, Jhallas in Poonch (both small arms firing ranges) and Garhi (Nowshera) in Rajouri district, all five in Jammu region, falling under the Command of 16 Corps. The lease period of Garhi has been renewed now.
In addition to this, the Army has also been asked to vacate 130 kanals land in Leh, 200 kanals at Kalsar, 1710.77 kanals at Tattoo Ground, 297 kanals at Wuzur and 137 kanals at Jammu Airport.
Contention of the State Government in denying extension of lease of the firing ranges was that built up areas have come up near the ranges. However, the Army has projected that it was suffering heavy loss to the State exchequer and defence budget as the artillery units deployed in Jammu and Kashmir had to move to Mahajan and Pokhran firing ranges in Rajasthan and Babina, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh for practice and training along with log stock and barrel.
“The Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist Grids get affected due to adjustment of troops deployment during their longer period of absence in Jammu and Kashmir for firing practice camps in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,’” sources said.
The Army has pointed out that they were left with just about 66 operational field firing ranges as against 104 it had once.
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