Jammu and Kashmir Government will not extend the lease to Army for using Tosamaidan as a firing range, a state government minister said today.
"The government, through the special committee, has offered alternatives to the security forces and it would be ensured that the lease for the Tosamaidan Artillery Range is not extended," state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said addressing a public meeting at Khan Sahib in Budgam district.
The public meeting was also addressed by Union Minister Farooq Abdullah who is seeking re-election from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency which is spread over Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts of central Kashmir.
The State government had constituted a committee to look into Toisamaidan issue after the local residents launched a campaign against the extension in lease, which will expire later this week.
Last week, moderate Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq extended support to demand of the people living in the vicinity of Tosamaidan and sponsored a general strike on April 12 in support of the demand besides announcing a "sustained campaign" if the lease was extended.
Rather, also NC leader, criticised the main opposition party saying, "it was PDP that extended the lease on the Tosamaidan Artillery Range in 2004 when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Chief Minister of the State.
"It is for this precise reason that PDP has chosen to talk in hushed, apologetic voices about this issue rather than categorically opposing the extension of the lease," he said.
Meanwhile, State Secretary of CPI(M) M Y Tarigami expressed concern over the reports that a number of lives have been lost in Tosamaidan over the past few decades and urged the government to look into the lease extension matter on "humanitarian grounds".
"The Civil-Military liaison committee constituted by the government must take all the aspects of the matter into consideration before recommending any solutions including finding an alternate location for the firing range to address the issue," he said in a statement here.
"Apprehensions exhibited by the civil society in general and the locals of Tosamaidan in particular deserve a serious attention from the authorities," he added, expressing dismay over report about delay in disbursement of compensation to the affected families.
Referring to enormous tourism potential of the area, Tarigami said the government must also explore and chalk out a comprehensive plan to develop the area as a tourist destination to create economic opportunities especially for the local populace.
"Initiatives to explore Tosamaidan and its adjoining places as a health resort will surely give a flip to the economic activities in these areas," he observed.
