Srinagar, Aug 16: More than a year after Operation Sindoor, residents living along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district say they continue to live under the threat of cross-border shelling, with no new community bunkers visible on the ground.
Residents said that despite repeated demands for safe shelters, the construction of new bunkers has not progressed in several border villages. They also claimed that many of the existing bunkers have either deteriorated or are no longer fit to provide adequate protection during shelling.
Lal Hussain Kohli, a resident of Charunda village along the LoC, told Rising Kashmir that no new bunker has been constructed in the area since Operation Sindoor.
“Not a single new bunker has been built by the government in the last one year. Whatever bunkers we have were constructed nearly five years ago,” he said.
Kohli said the village remains vulnerable to cross-border firing and requires functional shelters for the protection of civilians.
“There are around eight community bunkers here, but all of them are in a dilapidated condition and cannot be used safely,” he said.
Similar concerns were raised by residents of other border villages, including Garkote, Mothal and Silikote.
Bashir Ahmad Bhat of Garkote said villagers had received no government support for bunker construction after Operation Sindoor.
“If cross-border shelling happens again, where are we supposed to go?” he asked, adding that some families had been forced to construct makeshift shelters using their own limited resources.
“We are poor people, but we have no choice. We have to protect our families,” Bhat said.
Nadeem Abbasi, an ex-sarpanch of Gawalta village along LoC said that no new bunker had been constructed in the village and residents continued to face serious risks during any escalation along the LoC.
“No new bunker has come up here. Our lives continue to remain at risk,” Abbasi said, adding that several older bunkers had also deteriorated and could no longer safely accommodate residents during shelling.
The issue of civilian shelters in Uri has remained a concern for years. In 2020, the government had proposed the construction of several community bunkers in the border area. While some were completed, residents said many remained unfinished or inadequate.
In May last year, the then Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, approved the construction of 202 overhead protection trenches in the Uri sector. However, some residents questioned their effectiveness and termed them a waste of public money.
“They dug shallow trenches and covered them with wooden planks and mud. Such structures are unsafe during heavy shelling. We need proper concrete bunkers,” said Tariq Hashim, a resident of Kamalkote sector.
The issue gained further attention in January this year when then Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Minga Sherpa said that the Home Department had sanctioned more than 500 bunkers to be constructed along the LoC in Uri.
However, residents said there was little visible progress on the ground and urged the administration to expedite the construction of durable and fully equipped shelters before any fresh escalation along the LoC.
When contacted, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uri Prince Kumar said the matter had already been taken up with the higher authorities.
“A proposal in this regard has already been sent to the government,” he told Rising Kashmir.
