Global warming, ecological changes and heavy shelling by Pakistani troops are triggering avalanches in places such as Jammu and Kashmir that had not reported such instances before, army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Sunday. The army chief lauded the contribution of Major Sagar, an officer with the Territorial Army, saying he had volunteered for the posting despite the hardships there. When there is a heavy snowfall on such loose soil and if there is a slope, it triggers the danger of an avalanche,” Rawat said. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat paying homage to Major Amit Sagar at a wreath laying ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI Photo)The army withdraws troops from places at risk of avalanches, but that cannot be always done in positions vulnerable to insurgency.

Source: Hindustan Times January 29, 2017 12:56 UTC