BY SAHIL RASGOTRA
Kargil: A day after a boy was killed in bomb explosion in Kargil, the authorities on Monday started the sanitization of Kurbathang area, even as the district administration has declared the Astroturf Football ground where the incident occurred, a restricted area.
Lieutenant Governor Brigadier B D Mishra, accompanied by Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan visited the Kurbathang area, before driving to District Hospital, Kargil to check condition of boys injured in the explosion.
In a heart-wrenching incident, a 13-year-old boy was killed and two others injured after a unbusted bomb from the 1999 India-Pakistan war in Kargil exploded on Sunday. The trio were on their way to Astro Football ground at Kurbathang on Sunday morning when they came across the bomb. The curious boys went near the bomb which exploded, resulting in serious injuries to the three boys, and later in death of one of them.
Taking a stern note of the incident, the UT administration decided to remove dangerous ammunition in a limited time duration in the blind areas of Kargil and other places of Ladakh.
On Monday, the Indian Army started sanitization of Kurbathang area, with as many as seven bombs identified and diffused on day one.
“The officers of 19 Engineer Regiment, 8 Mountain Division of Indian Army conducted the sanitisation of the area and the bomb disposal squad diffused seven bombs on the day one. Ladakh police and local area expert from Pashkum Village Shabir Hussain Fayaz also participated in the exercise and helped the Bomb Disposal Team to identify the exact locations,” officials informed The Earth News.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Kargil Ghulam Muhanudin supervised the exercise. The sanitisation exercise will continue on Tuesday, they added.
The district administration on Monday declared the Astroturf Football Ground as restricted area.
“As directed by deputy commissioner Kargil, it is to inform to all the general public, particularly youth and students, that the under construction Astroturf Football Ground at Kurbathang near airport has been restricted till further order,” said an official order Issued by District Youth Services and Sports Officer Kargil.
Noting that the restrictions have been put in place in view of the recent incident of bomb explosion, the order requested the general public, ‘not to go in and around the astroturf ground to play or any other purposes till further order.’
Earlier in the day, Lieutenant Governor Brigadier B D Mishra visited Kurbathang and took stock of the ongoing sanitisation exercise.
The LG called the incident unfortunate and condoled the family of the deceased. He stated that steps to remove blinds from those areas will be carried out immediately.
He was accompanied by Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan.
Both LG and CEC also visited District Hospital Kargil to check condition of the two boys injured in the bomb explosion.
13-year-old boy Baqir was killed and Ali Naqi and Muntazir Mehdi were injured after a unexploded bomb from the 1999 India-Pakistan war in Kargil went off in Kurbathang area on Sunday morning.
LG Mishra had visited the hospital on late Sunday evening, where he had announced a compensation of Rs 4 Lakh for the deceased’s family and Rs 1 Lakh each to those injured.
“We are starting the operation to remove dangerous ammunition in a limited time duration in the blind areas of Kargil and other places of Ladakh,” Mishra had said last evening.
