New Delhi, Mar 11: Pressing into service imported de-mining equipment and anti-mine boots, army today said the pace of mine removal from the Indo-Pak border had accelerated with 58 per cent of the area mined during operation Parakaram cleared. " Areas which have been de-mined have been handed over to the farmers", an spokesman said today, asserting " mine clearing operations were presently underway in right earnest".
Four army personnel have so far lost their lives with as many as 63 casualties reported during mine clearance which has been going on since the past four months, an army spokesman said here today.
Elaborating on the casualties, the spokesman said 63 casualties had occurred ruing mine-clearing operations, of which 49 personnel had been discharged after first aid and 10 seriously injured personnel besides being paid compensation would be retained in service till their normal age of retirement.
Pointing out that the world over most of the casualties occurred during mine recovery, he said that three civilians had been injured when they inadvertently entered the minefields.
On the compensation paid to state governments, the spokesman said of the Rs157 crores sanctioned by the government over 97.44 crores had been disbursed among farmers in Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Giving out details, the spokesman said in Rajasthan of the Rs 54 crores sanctioned Rs 33.90 had been disbursed followed by Punjab with Rs 53.27 crores of Rs rs 66 crores and Jammu and Kashmir with 10.27 crore of the sanctioned Rs 37.10 crores. Bureau Report