Indian Army refutes a news published by India Today NE about Army restricting movement of tourists.
The Army has no role and is not a stakeholder in issuing or checking permits of civil/ tourist vehicles or stopping them. There are no barriers manned by Indian Army on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (JNM) for stopping of Civil Vehicles. The decision to allow tourists to visit till a particular point on the JNM is taken by the Civil Govt based on the road conditions and the permit is issued to the tourists by the Civil Administration accordingly.
Temporary Police Check Posts are also established by the Civilian Police to monitor and check permits of tourist vehicles. The main Permit Checking Check Post is at 3 Mile Traffic Check Post (Police) and police representatives are also present at Sherathang & Chhangu. It has been observed that due to heavy snowfall recently, the Civil Administration has issued permits to tourists as per their own assessment.
It is pertinent to mention that every year there are a number of instances when due to sudden Snowfall fall and road closure, the tourists get stranded in the border areas and the Indian Army rescues the tourists providing food, shelter, medical comfort and bring them to safety. The last rescue operation was conducted on 21 February 2024, wherein, 500 stranded tourists were rescued and brought to safety by the troops of Trishakti Corps. Indian Army while guarding the borders in the Himalayas, is always proactive in providing assistance to the tourists & local population.
Source:Trishakti Corps,Indian Army
