Srinagar(IANS) : The Indian Army has vacated all the school, hospital and other official buildings in Kashmir as per the directives of Defence Minister A.K. Antony, a military spokesman said here Saturday.
“We have vacated 15 school buildings, seven hospitals and five public health engineering accommodations,” Lt. Col. A.K. Mathur of the army’s 15 Corps told IANS.
The defence minister had set Nov 30 as the deadline for the army to vacate all the buildings its troops had occupied in Kashmir after they were deployed on the ground to combat the separatist violence here in early 1990s.
Mathur said the troops had vacated these facilities in the first week of November well ahead of the deadline.
However, representatives of the teachers’ union here said the army still occupies many school buildings including Boys Higher Secondary School Zachaldara in north Kashmir border district of Kupwara.
When contacted Asfandyar Khan, district magistrate Kupwara, said: “The school is partially occupied by the troops. They shall soon move to other location.”