With the target of providing protection to the local residents from shelling during the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the construction of underground community bunkers has started at villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri in the Baramulla district.
The officials in charge of the construction said that each bunker will be equipped with all facilities which will allow people to take shelter in these bunkers for several days. Each community bunker will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakhs each. It will comprise of two rooms besides a washroom.
Javaid Ahmad, Junior Engineer, Roads and Buildings department said that his department is the executing agency, which will construct 18 community bunkers in Boniyar and Uri areas out of which construction work on six is currently underway.
"This is the first time that bunkers are being built in the Uri tehsil. The people from here had been demanding for bunkers for long since it is a border area and the situation here can turn bad anytime," Ahmad told here.
"We have to construct 18 bunkers in total, work on six is currently underway. The tender process of others is being completed. We will hopefully, complete it soon and this will give protection to the people of this area," he added.
The local residents of the border areas of Uri thanked the Indian government for fulfilling their long-standing demand.
"We are very thankful for the Indian government for fulfilling our demand. This is a great start but we need more such bunkers to be made at the houses of people in this area," Manzoor Ahmad, Sarpanch of Ward five said.
"We are the worst sufferers whenever exchange of fire takes place. We are always worried whenever firing takes place from the other side," another local resident added.
( With inputs from ANI )