Srinagar, Mar 14: The government is planning to construct shelling-resistant ration stores in border villages of the Kashmir Valley – a first-of-its-kind initiative to ensure safe storage of foodgrains and uninterrupted public distribution during military emergencies and heavy snowfall, documents accessed by this newspaper reveal.
The Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) has written to Assistant Directors in the border districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara, directing them to assess the condition of food godowns, report damage and identify government land for the construction of permanent concrete ration stores.
The move follows a letter from Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid to Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi, in which he flagged that several food godowns in the border belt were “severely damaged during Operation Sindoor, leaving storage facilities non-functional at a time when winter has already set in.”
“Many of these areas become completely cut off during heavy snowfall, and the inability to store food supplies locally poses a serious risk to public welfare. I humbly request that necessary funds be sanctioned at the earliest for the repair and restoration of these godowns so that adequate stocks can be positioned well in advance,” Rashid wrote.
The Assistant Director FCS&CA Baramulla, in response, reported on January 7 that while no godowns had been directly damaged in the district, several vulnerable border locations lacked permanent concrete ration stores — posing serious logistical and safety concerns during adverse weather and security situations.
Following this assessment, officials on February 28 wrote to the Tehsildars of Uri and Boniyar directing them to identify suitable government land for the construction of permanent concrete ration stores. The identified land, the communication specified, must be free from encumbrances and litigation, have stable topography suitable for construction, possess proper road connectivity for transportation of foodgrains and be strategically located to serve border populations.
Tehsildars have been asked to furnish Khasra numbers, area details, ownership status and site feasibility reports at the earliest so that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) can be prepared and submitted to higher authorities.
Assistant Director FCS&CA Baramulla Sheikh Tariq confirmed the rationale. “The government is planning to construct shelling-resistant ration stores so that food supplies remain safe and distribution continues smoothly during emergencies,” he said.
Assistant Director FCS&CA Kupwara Irfan-ul-Ashaq said the department had also written to the Revenue Department to identify suitable land at the earliest for the construction of such stores in the district.
