Locals along LOC upbeat over farm lands returned by army after 10 years

Upbeat over getting their demined agriculture land along the LoC back after a decade, the farmers here have started tilling the fields and are all set to sow this season despite incidents of firing from across the border.

 

"We are very happy to get our lands back after a decade. The farm land was mined during the 'Operation Parakaram' in 2000. Now army demined it and handed us back. We will sow our first seeds very soon," Fakir chand, a farmer from the Channi Dewanun hamlet said.

 

Army had demined 37 acres of land in Channi Dewanun village in Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and handed over the farm lands to the villagers on July 19.

 

"A total of 14779 Kanals of deserted agriculture land falling close to Indo-Pak border in Jammu has been demined by the army and handed over to farmers through the state government," deputy chief minister Tara Chand had told PTI.

 

"We are not afraid of the increasing incidents of Pak firing along the Indo-Pak border. We have got back our lands after much fight," Gori Devi, another resident of the hamlet, said.

 

The villagers thanked Chand, who represents the border Chammb constituency, for taking up the matter with the prime minister and the defence minister to ensure that the farmland is demined and handed back to villagers.

 

However, the villagers are in a state of fear in the wake of nine ceasefire violations and firing by Pakistan on forward areas along the border this month in which two jawans were killed and five others, including two civilians, injured.