IVRI plans to reopen Srinagar research unit

The Indian Veterinary Research Institute is planning to reopen its centre at Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir as expectations of normalcy are gaining ground following the repeal of Article 370, the institute's director said on Monday.

The institute had set up its unit dedicated to research on sheep and Pashmina in Srinagar in 1973. It, however, closed down the unit after 26 years of operations following threats from militants.

With the hopes of normalcy gaining ground following scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) is planning to reopen its Srinagar unit, IVRI Director R K Singh said.

After repealing Article 370 in J&K, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week had spoken about future plans and invited the industry to invest in the region now bifurcated into two Union Territories.

The prime minister had asserted that once coming back to normalcy, J&K would be on the path of development again.

Speaking about the Srinagar unit, Singh said a lot of research work on sheep was done at the unit. It developed a vaccine to deal with lung problems arising out of severe cold, Singh said, adding that the vaccine used to be supplied to Nepal, Bhutan and Himachal Pradesh.

However, from 1998 to 2001, the staff was shifted to other centres following threat from militants and later the unit was closed and the Army took over the building of the unit, Singh said.

"We had at least 15 employees working there. There were scientists and clerical staff," the IVRI director said. Some staff members were also transferred to Bareilly.

The locals were given placement at Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture(CITH) in Srinagar, he added.