The Army bomb disposal team on Wednesday destroys live mortar shells fired by Pakistan during recent ceasefire violations in the RS Pura sector of Jammu. Tribune Photo: Inderjeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 21

Taking advantage of the silence on the International Border, the defence authorities today started the process of defusing mortar shells fired from across the border during the last two months.Two teams from the Engineer Regiment today conducted a village-to-village survey near the International Border and defused a number of unexploded mortar shells in residential areas and in fields.For the last one month, an unexploded mortar shell from across the border had been lying on the premises of a house in Abdullian village in the RS Pura sector. Today, a special bomb disposal squad of the Army defused it. “For the last one month we have been living in constant fear due to the shell but today we are at peace,” said the house owner, Bodh Raj, as he recalled the shell landing in the backyard of his house but, fortunately, not exploding. Abdullian village is situated near the International Border in the RS Pura sector. This village came under heavy shelling in November.Mohinder Singh of Old Agray Chak said when tension was at its peak on the border, some mortar shells fired from Pakistan landed on his fields. “As these shells had not exploded, we could not cultivate. Now the defence authorities have defused the shells and we can now begin farming,” Singh said.