Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 12: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given nod to Rs 400 crores for construction of 19,000 individual and 4700 community bunkers in five border districts of Jammu region but took serious note of delay in start of the work by the State Government despite clear directions given earlier that the State should go ahead with the work without waiting for formal approval of the funds. The MHA has sought status report from J&K Government as it wants construction work to be completed immediately for protection of the border dwellers.
Sources told the Excelsior that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from September 9-12 had given nod to construction of 19,000 individual and 4700 community bunkers in five border districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba, Kathua (all along the International Border), Rajouri and Poonch districts (both along Line of Control).
Rajnath had asked the State Government to start construction of the bunkers by assuring them that the MHA would bear entire cost of the project and that the Government shouldn’t wait for formal release of amount.
“After receiving proposal from the J&K Government, the MHA has formally approved it,’’ sources said, adding that nod has been given for release of Rs 400 crore worth project.
However, sources said, the MHA as well as top functionaries of the Government of India regretted that despite lapse of three months of the Union Home Minister’s announcement, the State Government didn’t make any headway on the project. Even the executing agency hasn’t been finalized yet.
Asserting that a section in the Government has delayed process for starting work on construction of bunkers, sources lamented that even the BJP Ministers in the coalition Government did no follow up work on such an important announcement of the Union Home Minister, which would have benefits to lakhs of border dwellers, who have repeatedly been raising demand for construction of bunkers to save them from Pakistan shelling and firing, which has become a routine affair on the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
“As all 19,000 individual and 4700 community bunkers were to be constructed in Jammu region, it was duty of the BJP Ministers as the party has massive mandate from the region, to get the project started on the Home Minister’s assurance that funds were no problems and they would be released immediately on receipt of project from the State Government,’’ sources said but regretted that even the BJP Ministers didn’t follow the project, leading to delay of three months till date in starting work.
“Even the project can be pushed further as the State Government was yet to finalize the executing agencies for the work,’’ sources pointed out and regretted that the project of such a strategic importance where lives of large number of people were involved has been delayed despite categorical directions from the Union Home Ministry.
It may be mentioned here that large number of community and individual bunkers are to be constructed in Samba and Hiranagar sectors on the International Border, which falls in the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Rest of the bunkers in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts also fall in Lok Sabha segment of another BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma.
Meanwhile, when approached for comment, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari told the Excelsior that he hasn’t received any formal communication from the Centre Government so far on release of funds for construction of bunkers.
“There might have been an internal approval but it was yet to reach to me,’’ Dr Bhandari, who had been undertaking regular visits to International Border and Line of Control in all five border districts of Jammu region to supervise the project, said.
He added that as soon as approval for the project is received he will ask all five Deputy Commissioners of the border districts to take up the project immediately and ensure speedy construction of community and individual bunkers for the border people.
Sources, meanwhile said, the State Government especially the BJP Ministers shouldn’t have dragged their feet in getting work started on construction of bunkers for the border dwellers especially when no less a person than the Union Home Minister had called upon the State Government to go ahead with the execution of the project.
It may be mentioned here that during his four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from September 9 to 12 this year, Rajnath had also visited Nowshera sector along the LoC, which was then worst affected by Pakistan army’s mortar shelling and firing, and announced construction of 19,000 individual and 4700 community bunkers for the border dwellers of five districts. He had announced that cost of all bunkers would be borne by the MHA.
Later, the MHA had set up high-level Study Group headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Rina Mitra to study other problems of the border dwellers. The Group had visited all five border districts and gave its preliminary findings to the Union Home Minister.
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