Full vehicle scanners to prevent illegal trade on Jammu-Sgr NH
To keep tab on smuggling vis-à-vis illegal transportation of bovine and drugs, the vehicles, especially the trucks, plying on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway will soon have to undergo a full body scanning facility.
Sources in the police department said that illegal smuggling of arms, cattle and drugs will be under check and it will not be a cakewalk for the dealers as full body scanners are soon to be installed on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway for which the proposal has already been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Finally after a long gap, a proposal has been prepared to install full body scanners for checking vehicles plying on the highway and the same has been sent to the Home Department for approval,” sources said.
Sources said that after taking stakeholders and sister concern agencies like CRPF, Army and other paramilitary forces on board it has been nodded to install fully body scanners most likely between Nagrota Ban Toll Plaza and Samba on the highway.
Stating that it has been reported on several occasions and also resulting in many attacks after the smuggling of arms and weapons from across the border from Jammu, Samba and Kathua belts and its transportation to the Kashmir valley, sources added that installation of full body scanners will help in curbing this illegal trade.
“To curb this menace of weapons smuggling and transportation to the terrorists, the plan to install full body scanners was being worked out for a long time and finally, it has reached to its logical conclusion for further implementation on ground,” they added.
Presently, such scanners are operational outside the state especially the yards where big containers are loaded, sources said and added, “in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism is a problem, the facility is much required. Weapons have been transported in trucks to and fro Jammu to Kashmir in the last few years and it is almost impossible for the cops to frisk every single truck manually.”
Though, security agencies remained successful in foiling such attempts and also recovered a cache of arms, ammunition, drugs, cash and also prevented transportation of bovine but, sources said that with an installation of these hi-tech gadgets, it will become more accessible and simplified to frisk the vehicles plying on the highways.
“In the recent past, incidents of air-dropping of weapons and drugs along borders came to fore and the over ground workers affiliated with various terrorist outfits are tasked to further transport it to the Kashmir valley but noose will soon be tightened against illegal trade,” they added.
“A proposal has been readied regarding full body scanner installation and will be procured after due consultation with CRPF. Police Headquarters is working on it and expected to be approved very soon,” said a senior police official.
