Against the backdrop of the persistent demand of the Hurriyat and separatist leaders for revocation of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and reducing the presence of troops in the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the cash-strapped J-K Government had incurred over Rs 9 crore on their security and escort vehicles during the last 12 years.
“The state government has spent Rs 9.47 crore on account of providing security cover to the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders from 2001 to 2012,” Omar said in a written reply to a question by an Independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, in the Assembly here today.
Giving the break-up of the expenditure, the Chief Minster said Rs 4.56 crore was spent on account of salaries of Personal Security Officers (PSOs) and drivers of Hurriyat leaders for the period.
An amount of Rs 71.10 lakh was spent on the fuel used in vehicles escorting Hurriyat leaders while Rs 3.79 crore was incurred on salaries of residential guards protecting their houses.
