Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 24: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released first installment of Rs 75 lakh under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) for Pakistan shelling and firing victims of Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) and assured release of more funds in the next few days even as the State Government has once again taken up with the Home Ministry the proposal to construct community bunkers in five border districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Union Home Ministry has released first installment of Rs 75 lakh under the SRE for shelling and firing victims along LoC and IB and has assured to release more funds under the scheme as soon as the released funds are spent. The Security Related Expenditure of Jammu and Kashmir Government is reimbursed by the Union Home Ministry in view of militancy in the State.
While releasing the amount for border shelling and firing victims, the MHA has listed detailed guidelines on payments in favour of next of kin of those killed in the firing. With this, sources said, the Centre has fulfilled its promise to pay Rs 5 lakh to the dependents of every person killed in Pakistan shelling and firing, both on LoC and IB.
However, the MHA guidelines said that the entire amount of Rs 5 lakh wouldn’t be paid to next of kin of victims in one go. Though the amount would be released immediately, the dependents of the victim would get Rs 5 lakh in the shape of two to three Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs) depending upon composition and condition of the family members of the victims.
When approached for comments, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari confirmed to the Excelsior the release of Rs 75 lakh under the SRE for firing victims and said the divisional administration will be releasing Rs 5 lakh each for three recent victims of Pakistani shelling in Nowshera sector immediately as per the MHA guidelines.
“We will release the amount in favour of Pakistan shelling victims as per the latest guidelines of the Union Home Ministry, which stated that FDRs have to be made in favour of victims’ kin,” Dr Bhandari said.
It may be mentioned here that three civilians including a woman and a girl child were killed in Pakistani shelling few days back in Nowshera sector while half a dozen others were injured.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of recent tensions along LoC especially in Nowshera and Manjakote sectors of Rajouri district, the State Government has taken up proposal with the Union Home Ministry for construction of community bunkers for border dwellers in all five districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, falling along the International Border and Poonch and Rajouri districts, which were located along the Line of Control.
The Union Home Ministry, headed by BJP veteran Rajnath Singh, had earlier approved construction of 60 community bunkers in Jammu district on trial basis to know whether they would be useful for the people living in the border villages in the event of Pakistan shelling and firing.
Sources said the community bunkers were at the advanced stage of construction in Jammu district and their experiment seems to be successful as they can accommodate around 20 persons at a time along with their requirements like cooking material etc.
“As the experiment seems successful, the Government wants the Union Home Ministry to go for construction of community bunkers in all five border districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch to help the border people shift to bunkers immediately during shelling or firing by Pakistani troops,” sources said, adding this will help avoid civilian casualties as well as frequent conversion of Government schools into the migrant camps. During recent intense mortar shelling in Nowshera sector, four Government schools had been converted into the migrant camps while many more had been identified for use if the number of migrants increased.
The Home Ministry had earlier given Rs 3 crore to the State Government for construction of 60 community bunkers in Jammu district at the cost of Rs 5 lakh per bunker.
Sources said the State Government has now decided to vigorously pursue the demand for construction of bunkers in all five border districts of Jammu region with the Union Home Ministry in the wake of recent heavy shelling in Nowshera sector in which Pakistan army had directly targeted the civilian population, forcing large number of people to migrate and put up in the Government schools, which were converted into the make shift camps to accommodate the border dwellers.
With tensions increasing between India and Pakistan on every passing day, there seems to be no immediate end to border skirmishes between the two hostile neighbours and, according to sources, in such a condition, the construction of bunkers has become a necessity for safety and security of large number of border population.
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