Near the Line of Control in Shatpalla village of Tangdhar area, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, former Block Development Council chairman Riyaz Ahmad said many lives were saved thanks to bunkers constructed during the period of the pandemic.
Karnah tehsil, of which Tangdhar is a part, saw intense shelling by Pakistan last week after India carried out Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7. But an initiative taken five years ago, to create community bunkers, has prevented injuries and loss of life.
“We were saved by these underground bunkers,” said Ahmad. “In times like these, the bunkers are our safety, our shield, against the exploding shells.”
One such community bunker is situated within Ahmad’s premises. The 30×20-foot structure is secured by 12 inches of concrete designed to withstand artillery fire. Over the last five days, more than 100 residents of Shatpalla village — men, women and children — spent nights inside this underground bunker as the artillery shells rained down outside.
The community bunker project was an initiative of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Ahmad credits its execution to the then Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Karnah, Dr Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat, who is currently posted as Deputy Commissioner Srinagar.
“It was the beginning of pandemic. Work had stopped everywhere, but he (the SDM) ensured that this project is completed within seven months,” Ahmad said. “Many people also came forward and voluntarily offered their land for these bunkers.”
While the original idea was to build all the community bunkers within 3 km of the LoC, an official said it was later decided that because areas further from the LoC were also vulnerable, particularly to artillery shelling, bunkers were built there also.
“Authorities decided to have a meeting with the Army to assess the need for bunkers, and villages were divided into two groups — those vulnerable to small arms and those vulnerable to artillery fire,” said the official. “The MHA had approved 60 bunkers for Karnah, but since the size of such bunkers was not possible because of terrain and the low availability of big chunks of land, 120 smaller bunkers were constructed at the same cost,” the official said.
While constructing the bunkers, among the things taken into consideration were how much shelling they could withstand, how much time it would take for people in the neighbourhood to reach it, the need for proper ventilation, and the requirement of a door in a shadow area.
Some people have also constructed their own underground bunkers on their premises. However, not many of them have been designed to sustain heavy artillery fire and are barely inhabitable for longer stays.
This was one of the reasons why the demand for community bunkers arose. “We want these bunkers to be constructed in every habitation, small or big,” said Tasveer Ahmad, a resident of Batapora. In Batapora, a cluster of houses were burnt down when an artillery shell fell on a vehicle parked outside.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also spoke about underground bunkers during his visit to Karnah. Abdullah also inspected an underground bunker.
“New bunkers have not been made for many years,” he said at Karnah. “The people have also demanded individual bunkers. We will do whatever we have to do. We will develop a scheme and also talk to the Centre about it,” the CM said.
