*BSF, Army to have direct control over infrastructure
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 2: In a major development, which will go a long way in providing protection to the inhabitants of the border people from shelling and firing by the Pakistani troops, work on 35 bunkers taken up under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) is nearing completion. Moreover, the work on 60 more bunkers, which were recently approved by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on pilot basis, will begin shortly as Home Department is in the process of releasing funds for the same within next some days.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), the Jammu district administration during the current financial year had kept the provision for construction of 35 bunkers in those border areas, which are most vulnerable to the shelling and firing from across the International Border by the Pakistani Rangers.
The work on these 35 bunkers was kick-started in September-October last year and the same is expected to be completed during next one or two months, sources said while disclosing that several of them have already been completed by the Rural Development Department.
Each of these bunkers would be able to accommodate around 20 persons at the time of shelling and firing from across the border. Moreover, these bunkers are being provided all the required facilities like electricity and water to ensure that the people could spend a long time to survive during the prolonged Pakistan shelling and firing, sources further said, adding an expenditure of Rs 5 lakh is being incurred on construction of each bunker.
Stating that number of bunkers for the border people would go up to 95, sources said that 60 bunkers have recently been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for Jammu district on pilot basis and work on the same is expected to begin anytime as all the formalities in this regard have already been completed.
Following release of Rs 3 crore by the MHA to the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir recently for construction of 60 bunkers, the Home Secretary of the State few days back had a meeting with all the concerned authorities including Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Pawan Kotwal to ascertain whether each of these bunkers would be completed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh as proposed earlier or some additional amount would be required. It was conveyed to the Home Secretary that there is no escalation in the cost of construction of each bunker with the required facilities including toilets.
Moreover, the Home Secretary wanted to know as to which agency would have the direct control over the bunkers so that the same are immediately thrown open for the public during any misadventure from across the border, sources said while disclosing that it was decided in the meeting that the bunkers would remain under the control of either Border Security Force or the Army as these agencies are first respondent in case of shelling and firing from across the border.
In response to a question, sources said that structure of bunkers already taken up under BADP and those recently sanctioned by the MHA on pilot basis would be the same as the design has been approved by different security agencies after detailed exercise. About the location of recently sanctioned 60 bunkers, they said, “all those areas which have the history of facing shelling and firing from across the border would be given preference”, adding “these bunkers would also be constructed by the Rural Development Department”.
Stating that Jammu and Kashmir has proposed a total of 20,125 bunkers in five border districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba and Kathua along the International Border (IB) and Rajouri and Poonch districts along the Line of Control (LoC), sources said that after analyzing the benefits to be provided by 95 bunkers to the border dwellers, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs would start releasing funds for construction of 20,125 bunkers along the International Border and Line of Control.
It is pertinent to mention here that construction of bunkers was the long pending demand of lakhs of villagers putting up along the IB and LoC so as to provide protection from Pakistan shelling and firing.
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