Construction Of Underground Bunkers Along Loc In Kashmir Brings Cheer Among Residents

The people living along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir villages have heaved a sigh of relief as the construction of the underground bunkers have finally commenced after a long wait.

At Kashmir border, the work on the community bunkers have started in Hajipeer sector of Uri area and frontier village Karnah, both falling in north Kashmir.

45-year-old Lal Din Khatana, sarpanch of Charunda, the village barely a few meters away from LoC says they may survive now. ¡°We had lost all the hopes to live earlier as arbitrary cross-border shelling has made our lives hell but since the construction work has been taken up our hopes have risen,¡± he says.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

Mohd Hanief Awan, sarpanch of Tajal village said that their area is the worst sufferer of cross-border skirmishes. ¡°Both the armies of India and Pakistan fight with each other and we are made the victims without any fault of ours,¡± he said.

J&K home department had sanctioned 125 community bunkers

It is pertinent to mention that in February this year, J&K home department had sanctioned 125 community bunkers both for Baramulla and Kupwara districts with an aim to build shelters and safeguard human lives along the LoC from the arbitrary cross-border shelling

As per the order, 85 bunkers have been approved for Kupwara district that includes 10 for Keran, 15 for Machil, and 60 bunkers have been approved for Tangdhar tehsil. There will be 20 bunkers each in Uri and Boniyar tehsil. The government has approved Rs 25 crore for the project.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

In Karnah, some 150 kilometers from main Srinagar city, the residents too are happy after seeing the rapid construction of the community bunkers. ¡°We have been told by the administration that most of them will be ready by October end and later we can take a shelter inside,¡± said Raja Abdul Hamid, sarpanch of Dildar village.

Khushal Khawaja, a journalism student said, ¡°The local administration in Karnah is doing a commendable job to save the precious lives of the border residents¡±.

Bunkers destroyed in 2005¡¯s earthquake

The people living near LoC in Uri told IndiaTimes that most of the bunkers have been destroyed in 2005¡¯s devastating earthquake which shook the region. ¡°The government had earlier constructed the underground bunkers in 2002 but everything was razed three years later,¡± said Abdul Khaliq Bhat, sarpanch of Silikote village.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

60-year-old Ghulam Rasool Dar of Hathlanga village said, ¡°It is a moment to cheers as our much-awaited demand has been addressed by the government¡±.

Cross-border shelling taking toll

Many residents complained that cross-border shelling had taken a heavy toll on their livelihood. ¡°We are the labourer class families and we can only feed our families if we go out for the work. But unfortunately, frequent border shelling has hampered everything,¡± said Mohd Shafi, a local of Mothal village.

More bunkers in demand

The residents along LoC in Kamalkote sector of Uri has also demanded the construction of underground bunkers in their respective areas.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

Kamalkote sector is the last village along the LoC and worst affected due to cross-border shelling. Over 20 villages fall under Kamalkote sector all are close to LoC and have a population of over 25,000 households.

Faisal Iqbal, sarpanch of Dardkote village said that if the construction of bunkers has started in Hajipeer sector then why this side of LoC has been neglected. ¡°We too are humans and any eventuality can happen with us as well,¡± he said.

Nadeem Akbar Abassi, ex-sarpanch of Gawalta village said living on the LoC was hell for them. ¡°Our lives are at risk. We don¡¯t know what will happen next,¡± he said adding the government was doing nothing for their safety.

Official Say

Reyaz Ahmad Malik, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Uri said that the construction work on bunkers was going on in full swing. ¡°Around 50 bunkers are being constructed in Hajipeer sector of Uri and it cost Rs 20 lakh per bunker,¡± he said.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

¡°In the first phase, we are completing Hajipeer sector and afterward the construction of bunkers in the Kamalkote sector will be taken up. The work will begin most probably around ending October,¡± he said.

SDM Karnah Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat said around 30 bunkers are on the verge of competition. ¡°The work on the construction of 103 bunkers is in progress and we have achieved this target in a short span of time,¡± he said.

He said they were also confronting some issues regarding the construction of several bunkers. ¡°But we are soon writing to the government for the help,¡± he said.

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire more than 2000 times along LoC in only six months this year, according to government data. In 2019, it recorded the highest number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the previous 16 years when the ceasefire agreement in place since 2003 was breached as many as 3168 times. In 2018, the number of ceasefire violations was comparatively low at 1629.