The Army will completely relocate its troops from Srinagar’s Tattoo Ground, which is spread over 139.04 acres, and will be thrown open for tourist activities in the near future.
An official spokesman said the Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Government of UT of Jammu and Kashmir for the transfer of the Tattoo Ground to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) “for the promotion of tourism and other developmental activities in the region”.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha presided over the MoU signing ceremony at Raj Bhawan, the spokesman said.
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“The land will be handed over by the Ministry of Defence within 120 days,” the spokesman said.
L-G Sinha said it was a “momentous occasion” in the development of tourism in J&K, L-G Sinha hailed the Army’s cooperation.
“We will make honest and dedicated efforts to fulfill all the conditions of the MoU and develop tourism and other related activities such that tourists visiting Kashmir valley find the Tattoo Ground as the most attractive of destinations,” he said.
Lt. General Rajiv Ghai, General Officer Commanding 15 Corps; Dr. Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lt. Governor; Vijay Kumar, Additional Director General of Police; Vijay Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and senior officers of the Army were present on the occasion.
In December 2009 Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced the withdrawal of troops from Srinagar’s Tattoo Ground. The move was aimed at reducing the footprint of the Army in the city.
The Tatoo Ground has turned into a battleground more than half a dozen times in the past. Militants made several attempts to sneak into the installation and several security personnel were killed.
On September 29, 2015, former J&K chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had set a deadline for troop withdrawal from the Tatoo Ground, which did not materialise.
