500 bunkers needed in Nowshera

A total of 2,951 villagers continue to put up in five relief camps in Nowshera town because of the uncertainty.

JAMMU: Even as since May 1, nearly 3,000 villagers in relief camps in Nowshera are at wit’s end due to unbridled Pakistani shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

The administration has plans to construct community and individual bunkers in forward villages, especially those in the direct line of enemy fire.

Since May 1, when Pakistani BAT (Border Action Team) killed and mutilated two Indian soldiers — Junior Commanding Officer Paramjit Singh and Border Security Force (BSF) head constable Prem Sagar — in KG sector of Poonch district, there has been no let up in Pak firing and shelling in the twin border districts.

“A total of 2,951 villagers continue to put up in five relief camps in Nowshera town because of the uncertainty,” said Harbans Lal Sharma, subdivisional magistrate (SDM) of Nowshera.

“There had been shelling by Pakistan in Nowshera sector on Tuesday and they again fired heavily on Wednesday,” the SDM added.

The villagers are reluctant to return and it is now over a month since they took refuge in the relief camps, he added.

Sharma said that in view of continuous shelling by Pakistan, the district administration has decided to construct community bunkers and individual bunkers in the forward villages.

In the first phase, the administration would construct 20 community bunkers and 100 individual bunkers.

Interestingly, the villagers have been demanding five marlas of plots in safer areas, away from the firing range of Pakistan, to take refuge at the time of ugly skirmishes between the two countries.

Sharma informed that the Nowshera sector has 23 villages on the Line of Control, out of which 10 were in the direct line of enemy fire.

“Though we need nearly 500 bunkers as per a survey to cover all 23 villages on the Line of Control, the deputy commissioner has asked to come up with 120 bunkers in villages, which are located between the Line of Control and Indian fence and which are in the direct line of enemy fire,” sub-divisional magistrate of Nowshera added.

The administration shall be coming up with the bunkers in villages including Sher Makri, Bhawani, Khamba, Sarya, Pukharni, Jhangar, Kalsian and Anwas Bhandar among others.

Meanwhile, the district administration officials, headed by deputy commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, organised a public grievances redressal camp at the Laroka village to take stock of problems being faced by the local people.

A large number of people hailing from Lam, Laroka, Anwas Bhandar, Pukharni, Rajoa, Qila Darhal villages and adjoining areas participated in the camp.