Constructed 26 yrs ago, CRPF bunker removed in Srinagar

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 11

Set up in the 1990s when the militancy was at its peak in Kashmir, a 26-year-old CRPF bunker was removed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Tuesday to make space for a funeral ground in the commercial hub of the summer capital.

The bunker was located at the corner of Amira Kadal Bridge adjacent to the Hanuman Temple along the banks of the Jhelum. The Amira Kadal area is thronged by thousands of shoppers every day and remains one of the busiest places in the city.

In the 1990s after an alarming number of militant attacks, security installations such as bunkers and pickets were set up in all parts of the city to thwart such incidents. However, as the situation improved in late 2000, a number of installations were cleared by the administration as they had become an eyesore for locals as well as the tourists visiting the city.

The bunker at the Amira Kadal, locals say, has survived a number of militant attacks for the past two decades. 

“The bunker was attacked a number of times in these years. We welcome its removal as we have been demanding it for the past many years. The authorities finally seem to have realised the importance of the issue,” said Bashir Ahmad, a shopkeeper on Hari Singh High Street.

The step was taken by the newly elected mayor of the SMC, Junaid Azim Mattu. He said the bunker would be replaced by a funeral ground.

“I visited the spot and passed on-the-spot directions for the removal of the bunker. The area will now be used as a funeral ground. The place will be maintained by the SMC and the Dastageer Sahib Shrine Auqaf Committee,” he said.

Mattu said it was a demand of the local delegations as the place, which was a state-owned land, used to be a funeral prayer ground.

“We removed the bunker so that the place can be developed into a place where funerals can be performed. In the past too, the place was used for the same purpose. Moreover, the area can also be used for other purposes for public convenience,” Mattu added. 

The mayor said: “We want to make the city encroachment-free and any person found indulging in such illegal activities will be strictly dealt with under the law.”

CRPF spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said they had already abandoned the bunker.