J&K Govt spent 84% of funds allocated for building bunkers

Even as residents along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir continue to demand more bunkers in the wake of recent Indo-Pak conflicts, the Union Territory government has clarified that nearly 84% of the funds earmarked for bunker construction since 2017 have already been utilised.

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Responding to reports based on an RTI query, which claimed that only 50% of the allocated funds had been spent, the J&K Home Department said, “In 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, approved a project worth Rs 415.73 crore for the construction of bunkers in border districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Poonch, and Rajouri in Jammu division, as well as Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora in Kashmir division. The project aimed to ensure the safety and security of civilians living in these vulnerable areas.”

The Department clarified that so far, an expenditure of Rs 348.29 crore has been made, reflecting a utilisation of 83.78% of the total allocated funds.

Damage to houses and other infrastructure along the borders was a frequent occurrence during the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan before February 2021, when both countries agreed to strictly adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement.

However, following the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan resumed shelling Indian villages along the IB and LoC in J&K. The intensity of shelling increased over the following days, forcing many residents of Rajouri and Poonch to migrate to safer places, including Jammu.

At least 14 people lost their lives when shells struck their homes in Poonch town during the ceasefire violations that followed Operation Sindoor. It was during this period that the demand for the construction of additional bunkers was revived.

Senior officials in Rajouri and Poonch have since held meetings to discuss the construction of new bunkers and the renovation of existing ones in the region.

The Jammu and Kashmir Border Area Development Conference, an organisation working for the welfare of border residents, has also urged the government to expedite the construction of more bunkers in vulnerable border areas.

Shahzad Ahmad Malik, chairman of the organisation, stressed the need for both individual and community bunkers along the LoC. “A team of experts should visit these areas and assess where new bunkers are most urgently required,” he said.