nThe Union Home Ministry has indefinitely extended the air travel facility of jawans and other non-entitled personnel of the Central paramilitary forces deployed in Jammu & Kashmir.
The air travel facility was extended for one year to the non-entitled following the Pulwama incident on February 14 last year in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack on the paramilitary convoy by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad. This had led India to conduct an aerial raid at a Jaish facility at Balakot in Pakistan, killing scores of suicide bombers being trained at the terror training centre.
The air courier facility for these categories of paramilitary personnel was granted on February 21 last after the deadly Pulwama bombing on a CRPF convoy carrying over 2,500 CRPF personnel from Jammu to Srinagar through road. This had led to criticism as non-armoured vehicles were prone to risks from the terrorists during long exposure of the convoys on the road.
The air courier facility is available from Jammu to Srinagar and back on official duty/transfer/tour and leave (on termination/commencement at base point at Jammu).
The service is also available from Delhi to Srinagar and back on official duty /transfer/tour.
In an order issued recently, the Union Home Ministry said, " in continuation of this Ministry's letter dated 21.02.2019, the undersigned is directed to convey approval of the competent authority to allow extension of period of air travel in respect of non-entitled personnel of CAPFs, AR (Assam Rifles) & NSG deployed in the Kashmir Valley to travel by air."
The letter issued by Under Secretary Santosh Kumar has been circulated to the paramilitary forces including Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP0, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and National Security Guards (NSG).
Apart from being safe, the air courier service for the jawans and other non-gazetted officers of the paramilitary forces significantly cuts down on the travel time on both the routes-from Jammu to Srinagar and back and from Jammu to Delhi and back.