Army, BSF and CRPF conveys will move together in J&K
   21-Feb-2019
 
 
In the wake of Pulwama attack, the security forces have made some major overhaul in its movement in the valley. After holding a series of meetings it was decided that CRPF, Army and BSF convoys will move in Kashmir valley in a common window period, during which the movement of civilian traffic would be restricted. The decision is taken to minimize the threat of vehicle-borne IEDs.
 

 
 
Also, the convoy would cover the Jammu- Srinagar highway in two days, with more stops in between, instead of present practice of covering the trip within one day. It is planned that the capacity of the transit camps that fall en route like Qazigund, will also to be increased. The timing of the convoy movement is also changed, as the convoys are generally targeted during afternoon in and around the sensitive areas of Pulwama and Pampore.
 

 
 
A senior officer, who attended the meeting, said, “Because there are three different forces with massive presence in the Valley, there is movement almost every day, through the day. Stopping traffic for such disparate movements can bring the whole Valley to a halt and also make us vulnerable. So we have decided that the three forces will move together in a single window of time. This will reduce both vulnerability and traffic disruption”. He added that the movement of the convoys could be done in intervals and the civilian traffic would be allowed in between.
 

 
 
Another official said, “The real trouble starts after Qazigund and Banihal. There are stretches which are vulnerable to attacks on convoys. We have seen that most of these attacks take place in the afternoon. So we have decided to cross these stretches in the mornings. Ideally, we should reach Srinagar from Qazigund in two-and-a-half hours”. Also, the convoy will halt at Qazigund at night, and then leave for Srinagar early morning the next day.
 

 
 
The CRPF convoy that came under attack on February 14 had left Jammu around 3.30 am and it was targeted in Pulwama around 3 pm. The new plan also ensures that the convoys are small so that bulletproof vehicle would be provided to all the soldiers.