Proposal to build 5,693 additional bunkers in Poonch submitted for approval
DH NEWS SERVICE
Rajouri/Jammu, Nov 21
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday launched a housing project in Rajouri district for families whose homes were destroyed in cross-border shelling by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
According to officials, 388 prefabricated houses will be built under the first phase of the project. Each unit will consist of three rooms and will come with free insurance cover, free maintenance for five years, and regular medical checkups for the occupants.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Saryah Jhangar village situated on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera subdivision, the L-G said the initiative was part of the government’s continued effort to rehabilitate affected families.
The project is supported by HRDS India, an NGO headed by Shrimath Swami Atma Nambi.
“We had requested an NGO that builds houses across the country for disaster-affected people, to also make arrangements for constructing homes here,” Sinha said.
He said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, and the NGO some time back, under which 1,500 new houses will be built.
“In Rajouri, the foundation stones for 388 houses have been laid today, and these will be completed within six months,” he said.
Sinha noted that the average cost of each house is around Rs 9.80 lakh.
“The Rs 2 lakh assistance provided by the Government of India through SDRF — whether for those affected by shelling during Operation Sindoor or by floods — is not sufficient for building a house,” he said, expressing his gratitude to the NGO for deciding to provide shelter to the people affected by crises.
The L-G also interacted with affected families, assuring them of complete support from the administration.
Officials informed the residents that, in addition to the relief already provided, further assistance was being arranged through the NGO to ensure complete rehabilitation.
Sinha said the administration had already extended over Rs 10 crore in relief to other house owners under Security Related Expenditure (SRE), and other central schemes.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India is committed to the complete rehabilitation of affected families, and improving the lives of every resident of Poonch,” he added.
The new houses are being constructed for families whose homes were destroyed in incessant shelling by Pakistan forces during Operation Sindoor, and in the recent flash floods.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said that a proposal to set up 5,693 additional bunkers in the border district of Poonch has been submitted for approval.
This was revealed by Sinha after he laid the foundation stone for the construction of 521 new houses for families affected due to recent natural calamities and unprovoked Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor in Poonch and Rajouri.
The Lieutenant Governor, who shared the key measures taken to improve infrastructure in Poonch and Rajouri, said that over the past few years, 1,125 bunkers have been completed in Poonch, and a proposal to build 5,693 additional bunkers has been submitted for approval.
“In Rajouri, 2,923 bunkers were constructed in five years, providing relief to a large population living along the border,” he added.
Sinha observed that 19 next of kin of terror-affected families in Rajouri and nine in Poonch were provided government jobs.
He also instructed the district and police administration to identify the left-out terror victim families and forward their job-appointment-related cases to the government’s General Administration Department.
