Proposal to be taken up with Home Ministry
*Many towns in shelling range of Pak army
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 14: The Government is likely to go for construction of bunkers in the border towns which are within shelling range of Pakistan army and a proposal to this effect is expected to be sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
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“While there can be some community bunkers, the ultimate solution lies in construction of individual bunkers in the areas which are under shelling range of Pakistan. Requirement of such bunkers surfaced after Pakistani troops used long range mortar shells to hit civilian areas in Poonch and Rajouri towns,” sources told the Excelsior.
They said not only the Line of Control (LoC) but many towns on the International Border (IB) like Arnia, Pargwal and Kanachak also fall within the range of mortar shelling of the Pakistan army and, as a permanent solution to prevent migration of border dwellers in case of conflict like situation; the individual bunkers would serve the purpose.
During Operation Sindoor especially after Pakistan army hit civilian areas in Rajouri and Poonch, the border people from many areas including Pallanwalla, Khour and surroundings were shifted to shelter places in secure areas. People returned only after India and Pakistan announced ceasefire.
In contrast to this, the border villages where people have individual bunkers, didn’t witness migration with people preferring to stay in the bunkers after cleaning them as they hadn’t been put to use since February 2021 after India and Pakistan reached ceasefire agreement.
“Construction of individual bunkers in the leftout border villages as well as border towns will go a long way to solve the problem of migration in the event of conflict,” the sources said, adding the issue of bunkers is likely to be taken up by the Government with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs shortly.
With the Central Government stating that the ‘Operation Sindoor’ is not yet over, the need of individual bunkers is being felt in the border towns, the sources said, adding the civilian casualties in Poonch and Rajouri towns could have been averted or minimized if there were bunkers. However, since Pakistan hasn’t hit the two border towns for past several years, the community or individual bunkers were not constructed there.
Twelve civilians, four of them children including two siblings and two religious preachers were killed in heart of the Poonch town and nearly 50 others were injured in Pakistan shelling on the intervening night of May 7 and 8.
A days later, three civilians including Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) officer Dr Raj Kumar Thapa were killed in Rajouri town in the shelling.
Besides, nearly 200 houses and business establishments have suffered heavy to partial damage in Rajouri and Poonch towns, the sources said.
People in Rajouri and Poonch towns, as per the officials, were caught unawares as they were not anticipating that Pakistan army would hit the towns with long range mortar shells as this was not done in past many years.
As per the officials, such a heavy damage to civilian houses and commercial establishments was never witnessed in past, which was seen in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. The shelling was result of heavy military damages suffered by Pakistan and they vent their anger by targeting civilians having been unable to face the mighty Indian Army.
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