NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Sunday rejected reports in some sections of media claiming that air transit facility on Jammu-Srinagar sector for CRPF troops was not allowed.

In the wake of reports suggesting that the central government had rejected a proposal to ferry personnel of paramilitary forces from the Jammu-Srinagar sector by chopper, the ministry said it has significantly enhanced air courier services in all sectors to cut travel time of troops.

"Movement of convoys by road for logistical and operational reasons has been and will continue to be necessary. This is also the case with the Army," the MHA said.

Calling the reports "untrue", the ministry said, "Over the last few years, the MHA has significantly enhanced the air courier services for Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPFs) in all sectors to help the jawans cut down on travel time during their journey to and back from home on leave."

"In Jammu and Kashmir sector, air courier service for transportation of jawans of CAPFs are already in operation for quite some time. This initially included the Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu sector. Later, at the request of the CAPFs in December 2017, the services were extended to Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi, with seven flights a week," the MHA added.

It said that in December 2018, the MHA approved the enhancement of air support by increasing the routes and flights on certain sectors such as Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi (7 flights a week) and Srinagar-Jammu-Srinagar (4 flights a week).

"In addition, air support is provided from the IAF as and when required. Several sorties were run for the CRPF in January 2019. However, the movement of convoy by road for logistical and operational reasons has been and will continue to be necessary. This is also the case with the Army," the sources said.

Certain media reports had claimed that the CRPF had requested the MHA to transit the convoy by air, but the facility was denied.

Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber blew up an explosive-laden vehicle near their bus in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

(With agency inputs)

