Restoration of shelling-hit structures may take months: Poonch residents

Weeks after the destruction in Poonch town due to indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani side, locals have started restoring the structures that were severely damaged during the conflict but say it may take months for complete restoration.

It was on May 7, following the launch of Operation Sindoor, that the Pakistani side resorted to heavy shelling on Poonch town. It was for the first time that Poonch town was targeted even while it is not close to the Line of Control (LoC).

At least 14 people were killed during the shelling and over 2,000 homes were damaged. Many of the injured are still undergoing treatment at hospitals in Punjab and Jammu. Most of the locals were waiting for the relief money promised by the government for restoration of their homes.

Gurcharan Singh, joint secretary of the District Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Poonch, whose house was also damaged during the shelling said that while the UT administration’s Rs 1.2 lakh compensation has been received, the promised amount by the central government was still awaited.

“We had asked the government to prepare an estimate of each house that was damaged so that those affected can get appropriate amount of money. However, the meagre amount will not be helpful to restore the extent of damage the structures have suffered,” said Singh. He said there are some injured who are being helped by social and religious organisations.

The central government had on June 9 approved an amount of Rs 25 crore as compensation for restoration of homes damaged during the shelling. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had approved the amount for 2,060 affected homes.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during his visit to Katra on June 6 that an additional compensation of Rs 2 lakh would be granted for each fully damaged house and Rs 1 lakh for each partially damaged house.

As per official figures, during the conflict between India and Pakistan, a total of 3.25 lakh persons were evacuated from the border districts. Out of them, 15,000 persons were accommodated in about 397 shelters.

Abdul Rehman, a local of Sukha Katha area in the town whose house was also damaged during the shelling, said that while the compensation by the government would help the residents rebuild their homes, “it should have been more”.

“The roofs of many structures in Poonch have been severely damaged when shells fell on them. It caused holes in the structure that is costly to restore. It will take months for those who do not have money and are dependent only on government help,” said Rehman.