Border residents to get 5,390 bunkers in Kashmir

Jammu: The government will provide safe accommodation to 54,000 border residents facing the brunt of intermittent firing and shelling by Pakistan troops round the year in Rajouri district with the construction of over 5,300 individual and community bunkers.

Apart from 100 bunkers being constructed, the government has given approval for 4,918 individual bunkers and 372 community bunkers, District Development Commissioner Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said.

Each community bunker of 800 square feet will accommodate 40 persons and individual bunker of 60 square feet will accommodate eight persons, he said. This project will create safe accommodation for 54,000 people, he said.

The district development commissioner chaired a meeting of border residents and field officers to review relief and compensation measures and prominent representatives from Sunderbani, Nowshera, Doongi and Manjakote areas along the LoC attended the meeting yesterday.

Detailed discussion was held with locals, engineers, army officers and administrative heads regarding modalities for construction of bunkers in a time-bound manner. Meanwhile, proposal submitted by the district administration for coverage of relief and compensation in favour of border residents and migrants as per norms of the state disaster relief fund (SDRF) has been approved, he said.

The relief and compensation will be a major relief for border residents who are often forced to migrate due to ceasefire violation, the commissioner said. Shahid informed that now border migrants at relief camps are entitled for Rs 1,800 per adult per month and Rs 1,325 per child per month.

Besides, compensation for damages to crops has been approved at the rate of Rs 37,500 per hectare and compensation for loss of livestock has been approved at Rs 30,000 for large animals and Rs 3,000 for small animals, he said.

The losses and damages of houses and household items have also been covered for compensation, the officer added. The border residents on the occasion appreciated the efforts of district administration for a proactive redressal of their issues.

The DDC informed that process has been initiated for coverage of all unconnected household for providing power supply which will cover 6,200 houses along the LoC and work is scheduled to commence shortly. He also briefed about major thrust of the government for road connectivity for which a number of internal roads connecting hamlets have been approved.