Jammu, Dec 16: The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought detailed information from the Jammu and Kashmir administration regarding the requirement of additional bunkers in border areas of the Union Territory. Following this, District Magistrates of all districts sharing the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan have started ground-level assessments.
Official sources said that after receiving communication from the MHA, the administration directed the Divisional Commissioners of both Jammu and Kashmir divisions to assess the need for additional bunkers through the respective District Magistrates at the earliest.
Both individual and community bunkers will be identified during the exercise, with special focus on areas that witnessed heavy shelling for the first time during Operation Sindhoor. The selection of sites will be based on vulnerability, population density and the range of shelling from across the border.
Sources said community bunkers will be proposed for densely populated areas, while individual bunkers will be recommended for sparsely populated border villages. They added that construction of bunkers in uncovered border villages and towns would help prevent migration during any future conflict.
Officials pointed out that border villages which already had bunkers did not witness migration during recent shelling, as residents stayed back and took shelter after cleaning the bunkers, many of which had not been used since February 2021 when India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire understanding.
After completion of the assessment, the Jammu and Kashmir administration will submit the detailed requirement of bunkers to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The construction will be funded under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. Sources said shortcomings observed in existing bunkers will also be addressed while projecting the new requirements to ensure there are no deficiencies.
There are seven border districts in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts lie along the International Border, while Rajouri and Poonch share the Line of Control with Pakistan in the Jammu region. In the Kashmir Valley, Baramulla and Kupwara are border districts.
The decision to construct additional bunkers was taken after Pakistan targeted civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Sindhoor, which followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. During the operation, heavy shelling in Rajouri, Poonch and parts of Jammu district caused widespread damage.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Poonch on May 30, had announced the construction of more bunkers to enhance civilian safety in border areas.
Sources said District Magistrates will also consult security agencies during the assessment, as the pattern of shelling during Operation Sindhoor altered the threat perception.
Meanwhile, the administration will also project the requirement of funds for restoration of bunkers damaged during heavy rainfall in August and September this year, as the Roads and Buildings Department and the Rural Development Department have expressed their inability to allocate funds for repairs.
