Construction of bunkers under active consideration
*Situation near normal in border areas after Op Sindoor
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 7: Construction of more community as well as individual bunkers for the people living near the Line of Control (LoC) is being actively pursued by the administration while morale of the people remained very high as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Army in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch where nearly 20 civilians including children and a JKAS officer were killed in Pakistan retaliation to Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6 and 7 and following days last year.
Life has since returned to normal but for those who lost their near and dear ones, it can’t be the same again. People recalled their family members, relatives, friends and neighbours on one year of the killings.
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A number of senior leaders the Excelsior spoke were of the view that there was need for hi-tech hospital in the border districts.
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“Pakistan will not dare to shell the Indian villages again as it knows that retaliation will be very heavy and it will have to face dire consequences at the hands of the Indian Armed Forces like Operation Sindoor. Still, in case of any firing and shelling; the hi-tech hospitals can save many lives,” they said, adding the hospitals can be constructed either by the Army or the civil administration but they will serve a lot of purpose in treatment of the locals even if there is no retaliatory action from across the LoC.
Community as well as individual bunkers remained another major issue for the people not only in the villages close to the LoC but also for those living in Poonch town which was hit by heavy range mortar shelling by the Pakistan army on intervening night of March 6 and 7, 2025 soon after the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor. Fourteen civilians were killed in few minutes of the shelling in Poonch town. Four civilians were killed in Rajouri in the next couple of days.
However, according to officials, construction of the bunkers is under active consideration of the Central Government and is also being pursued by the administration.
Notwithstanding so much civilian casualties, the people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Armed Forces and are prepared to stay put in the forward areas to boost their morale if the troops decide to carry out further operations against Pakistan if such a need arises.
“Bunkers or no bunkers. Hi-tech hospitals or not. All people keep staying in their houses in forward areas on the LoC and none has shifted to safer areas as they want to support the Indian Armed Forces in their operations, if necessitated,” the locals said.
However, the border residents, who had lived under the fear of shelling from across the LoC for decades, have witnessed a major change since Operation Sindoor.
“Earlier, shelling, infiltration and cross-border firing incidents were frequent as we live right on the LoC. But since Operation Sindoor, there has not been any such incident. People are now able to sleep peacefully and live without fear,” they asserted.
They said after one year of Operation Sindoor, no major ceasefire violations have been reported on the LoC and near normal conditions now prevailed.
“Operation Sindoor has ushered in a sense of security and peace in border areas, with no major cross-border artillery fire over the past year,” they added.
People said the situation along the border has improved significantly after India carried out strikes targeting terror camps and infrastructure across the border during Operation Sindoor. “After India’s action, Pakistan became fearful and militant activities in Poonch and Rajouri districts; and nearby border areas reduced considerably”.
People also expressed gratitude for the support extended to affected families by political leaders and members of different communities.
“In India, people of all religions — whether Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims — stand together during painful moments and support each other. There is sorrow, but also pride, because peace comes after sacrifice,” they said.
Locals said while the border has been largely calm over the past year, the emotional wounds left by last year’s shelling remain fresh for many families who continue to remember their loved ones in silence and grief.
During Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces carried out pre-dawn missile strikes on May 7 last year at nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir, including Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Toiba’s base in Muridke killing large number of terrorists and their commanders in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.
The attempts were thwarted by the Indian troops, who in turn inflicted heavy damage to a number of key Pakistan military installations including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites.
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