Frightened after the recent India-Pakistan conflict that left behind a trail of death and destruction, people in over half a dozen Poonch villages have constructed makeshift bunkers near their houses at their own expense.
Close to the Line of Control (LoC), Poonch was among the worst-hit areas in the recent cross-border shelling by Pakistan. South of Pir Panjal, it is vulnerable to shelling due to its geographical location and proximity to the de-facto border.
Without waiting for any government help, people in Dhara Dhulian, Krishna Ghati, Jhallas, Gulpur, Digwar, Shahpur and Guntrian villages have constructed bunkers, said 32-year-old Sachin Khajuria, a resident of Dhara Dhulian village, barely 3km from the de-facto border.
“After shelling started, we wanted to flee to Jammu but were convinced to stay back. We decided to construct a bunker because we were not safe in our house,” said Khajuria.
He added that initially, the JCB operators were reluctant to work fearing that they might get killed in the shelling.
“However, during breathers (when exchanges stopped between the two countries), they worked, charging ₹1,500 per hour. On May 9 and 10, the JCBs worked in the village and around 30 to 35 bunkers were dug up,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“However, during breathers (when exchanges stopped between the two countries), they worked, charging ₹1,500 per hour. On May 9 and 10, the JCBs worked in the village and around 30 to 35 bunkers were dug up,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“A single bunker of 20ftx15ft cost us around ₹20,000. We have covered it with wooden logs, a tin sheet, sand-filled bags and a thick layer of soil (around 4 to 5 ft in height) to fortify it. We have installed a fan, an inverter and a phone charging point,” he further added.
52-year-old Pritpal Singh, a Sikh from Krishna Ghati village on the LoC, said, “Around 40 kuchha bunkers have been constructed by the villagers here.”
During intense shelling by Pakistan, which we never saw before in our life, we were forced to spend nights in culverts beneath roads because staying in houses during night was not safe, he added.
Singh said the construction of kuchha bunkers picked up momentum after May 10.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Pardeep Sharma said, “the bunkers constructed by the government over the years were insufficient and hence, people had no option than to construct their own bunkers.
“The people have constructed these bunkers out of their own money without any government help,” said Sharma.