Border villagers in J&K press for individual bunkers
PAK FIRING Union home ministry has okayed ₹415crore for 14,000 bunkers in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts
JAMMU : Even as Union home ministry directed early construction of bunkers on Indopak borders in Jammu and Kashmir, border villagers, who see it as another assurance, preferred individual bunkers over community bunkers. Another section among them insisted upon five marla (1,361.25 square feet) in safer areas out of firing range of Pakistan.
A 51-year-old Hari Singh, resident of Chachwal village in Samba district said, “If government wants to construct bunkers, it should provide us individual bunkers and not community ones. When mortars are being rained on us, none has the time and courage to move out of their houses, walk or run the distance to take refuge in community bunkers.”
Chachwal village lies barely 500m from the zero line and is virtually on the mouth of Pakistan barrels. In view of 1,252 ceasefire violations by Pakistan during the current year, home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called for expediting construction of bunkers along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LOC) to protect the border residents.
The MHA has approved ₹415crore for construction of more than 14,000 bunkers in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts. Work on construction of 1,431 community and more than 13,000 individual bunkers will commence from July. “I still remember the UPA government led by the Congress had promised us five marla plots (1,361.25 square feet) in safer areas out of firing range of Pakistan. That promise was never fulfilled. Now, its four years of BJP government. Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh had also promised us plots but that again remained a verbal assurance,” said 47-year-old Balkar Singh, of the same village.
“There are one and two-room houses in majority of the villages on the IB, where we do not have space. The only solution lies in providing us five marla plots in safer zones,” said 36-year-old Sham Lal, of Bain village.
Rajouri DC Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said in his border district, he has already completed 102 individual bunkers and eight community bunkers in Nowshera sector a couple of months back. “In total, we have to construct 5,176 individual bunkers and 371 community bunkers along the LOC in Rajouri district. For this purpose, the land is being handed over and we will be issuing tenders shortly,” he added.
“Peace has no alternative but an underground bunker in backyard can save many lives,” he added. The official also informed that during her recent visit, the CM had asked the administration to identify alternate land in safer areas to come up with shelter camps. A home department official said the proposal of five marla plots in safer areas didn’t actually take off.“the state government was of the view that doing so may empty border areas and instead we should focus on strengthening our borders. I still remember 1,125 kanals of land was identified in Kathua district before 2014 and the papers were submitted to the revenue department.” he added.