People living within 10 kms of the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have been asked to shift to safer places and schools ordered to be shut till further notice in the wake of surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC).
The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony at Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar in Punjab has also been closed for public today, officials said.
"We have asked border villagers living along IB and LoC to shift to safer area as a precautionery measure," Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh told PTI.
All people living within 7 to 8 kms of India-Pak border have been asked to move to safer areas and schools in 10 kms area to be ordered to close down till further notice, he said.
These directions have been passed on to people living along IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and along LOC in Rajouri and Poonch, officials said.
In some areas of R S Pura, the movement of the border residents to safer places has already begun.
"We have passed directions to them to move to safer places and some of them have started to move to the houses of their relatives in safer places," a Police officer said.
Army has started evacuating people living in the adjoining areas in Noushera belt of Rajouri anticipation of a possible retaliation by Pakistani troops, officials said.
The surgical strike at the terror launch pads was carried out by the Indian Army about 2-3 kms across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
In Punjab too, people residing in villages within 10 kms of the International Border were asked to shift to safter places. Six districts of the state share border with Pakistan.
The schools in the border areas have also been asked to remain shut until further orders, they said.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has put the entire government and political machinery in an emergency mode, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Badal over telephone today to request him to immediately start the process of evacuation of the people residing in the villages falling within 10 kms of the International Border in view of the escalating situation, the spokesman said.
Badal has directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to ask the concerned Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to oversee the entire evacuation process in the border districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
The Punjab Chief Minister directed the DCs to identify
suitable locations for setting up camps and ensure that none of the residents being evacuated was put to any sort of inconvenience, the spokesman said.
Badal also personally spoke to the Cabinet Ministers and MLAs concerned to camp in these border districts and keep close liaison with the district administration to ensure safe movement of residents.
He also directed the Chief Secretary to immediately release Rs one crore each to all the Deputy Commissioners of six border districts to meet any exigency.
Meanwhile, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam said border residents in Amritsar district have been asked to remain vigilant and prepare for any eventuality.
