ADASU demands shifting of firing range

Our Correspondent

Itanagar, May 30: A students’ union in Arunachal Pradesh has pleaded with Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to shift the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) firing range at Dullungmukh in Lower Subansiri district where bombing practices are being conducted, to some other suitable place.

The All Dullungmukh Area Students’ Union (ADASU) in a memorandum submitted to the Union Minister during her visit to the state capital yesterday, drawn her attention to the danger being posed to the people living in close proximity of the firing range by the bombing practice. The memorandum, a copy of which was made available to Press stated that the environmental and sound pollution being caused due to heavy and regular bombing practices is not only causing serious health hazards but also posing great danger to the life and property of the people of the area.

The defence minister was also apprised of the incident in which a person was killed in 1992 during a bombing practice in the firing range.

“But no compensation has been given to the victim’s family till date,” the memorandum said.

It further informed the defence minister that the range in Dullungmukh witnessed one of the heaviest bombings during the ‘Gaganshakti’ exercise of the IAF, which the union said had ‘crossed all limits’.