Ammo depot fire: 4-6 months to restore normalcy, says Army

Awantipora, South Kashmir, Aug 13 (UNI) Advising civilians to wait for another eight to ten days to return to their villages, affected due to a devastating fire in the 21 Field Ordnance Depot in south Kashmir, a senior Army officer said it will take another four to six months to bring the situation back to normal.

''We have so far airlifted 43 Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) from different parts of the country to defuse the unexploded shells in the affected areas,'' GOC-in-C Northern Command H S Panag told reporters here today.

He said 60 others are also being airlifted to the affected villages.

In reply to a question, he said it was not wise to enter the area as the last blast took place at 1020 hrs today. ''We have to wait for the next 48 hours and if there is no blast, we may get in,'' he said.

About the cause of the fire, he said the claim that it was a militant attack was totally baseless and wrong.

The fire started in the 16 number shed of the depot where Major Tarun Kumar, two jawans and two civilian labourers were present. It later spread to other sheds, he added.

There are 25 permanent sheds in the depot, he said adding that the fire has damaged 40 per cent of the establishment.

Lt General Panag said it will take another eight to ten days to clear the unexploded shells from the civilian areas. Once the shells are defused, civilians will be allowed to move in, he said, adding that police and security forces will jointly ensure that no property of any civilian is looted by miscreants in these solated villages.

the informed that unexploded shells on roads leading to villages will be cleared within next 96 hours.

Besides the area under the depot, we have to clear villages of all shells and unexploded bombs within an area of 8 square km, which will take two months,'' he said.

He said once the civilian areas are cleared of shells, operation to defuse unexploded bomb and shells in fields and orchards will be taken up.

The whole exercise will take four to six months, he said.

Lt Gen Panag said so far two Army firemen and two civilian labourers are confirmed dead and 25 others, including an officer and 9 other ranks, missing.

UNI