Security forces allowed commercial air travel in J&K

New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) A week after 40 troopers were killed in a deadly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama district, the government on Thursday allowed paramilitary forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to take commercial flights to join duty or while going on leave. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order saying, it "has approved the entitlement of air travel on Delhi-Srinagar, Srinagar-Delhi, Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Jammu sectors to all the personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)". The Ministry said that the decision will immediately benefit approximately 7.8 lakh CAPFs personnel in the ranks of Constable, Head Constable and ASI, who were otherwise not eligible for air travel. "This includes journey on duty and journey on leave, i.e; while going on leave from Jammu and Kashmir to home and return," the order said. The order also said that this facility is "in addition" to the existing air courier services for CAPFs that have been steadily extended in all sectors by the MHA to help the jawans cut down on travel time during their journey to and fro from home while on leave. CAPF personnel get air courier service on the Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu sector. The decision was conveyed to the chiefs of the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Assam Rifles (AR), National Security Guards (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and has come into effect immediately, said the order.