Army Chief visits Vaishno Devi shrine to pay obeisance

Jammu, Oct 5 (UNI) On a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor paid obeisance at the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi at Katra in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir this morning, official sources said.

General Kapoor, accompanied by wife Kirti Kapoor, is on the visit to the militancy-hit State to get first-hand knowledge of counter-insurgency operations and the situation at the border, the sources said.

Army Chief later visited White Knight corps in the afternoon where he was briefed on various facets of security arrangements prevailing in the Jammu region, official sources told UNI.

However, sources further added that General Kapoor had reviewed the security scenario in the Jammu and Kashmir in a meeting with senior army officers and field commanders at Nagrota-based 16 corps headquarters and northern command headquarters at Udhampur.

''The Chief lauded the multi faceted operation Sadbhavana project, which had addressed the aspirations of the local population thus beginning qualitative change in the environment, sources said.

Meanwhile during his second leg of the two-day visit, General Kapoor would visit the Srinagar tomorrow, where he was likely to had meetings with the state police officials and other members of unified headquarters in which emphasis would be laid on a concerted effort to counter insurgency operations, sources said.

Mrs Kirti Kapoor also visited Army nursery school, Nagrota wherein she appreciated the implementation of new curriculum designed by AWWA.

UNI