JAMMU, Dec 15: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to submit a detailed assessment of the requirement for additional bunkers in border areas. In response, District Magistrates in all districts adjoining the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan have begun ground surveys to identify vulnerable sites.
Official sources told Excelsior that the MHA communication prompted the J&K administration to direct the Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir divisions to gather bunker requirements through respective District Magistrates at the earliest. “Both individual and community bunkers will be assessed, with special focus on areas that came under intense shelling for the first time during Operation Sindhoor,” sources said. The selection of bunker sites, they added, would depend on vulnerability, population density, and the range of Pakistani shelling.
In densely populated areas, community bunkers will be proposed, while sparsely inhabited locations will see the construction of individual shelters. Officials said that expanding bunker coverage in left-out border villages and towns will help prevent civilian migration during future hostilities. Notably, villages equipped with bunkers during past exchanges stayed put, as residents took shelter after clearing long-unused structures—many last maintained before the February 2021 ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan.
Once the ground exercise is completed, the J&K administration will place the consolidated requirement before the MHA for funding under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. “Lessons learned from the shortcomings in existing bunkers will guide the new proposals to ensure structural strength and operational adequacy,” the sources noted.
Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts share the International Border, while Rajouri and Poonch lie along the LoC. Baramulla and Kupwara represent the border belts in the Kashmir Valley. The move to construct more bunkers follows Pakistan’s direct targeting of civilian habitations during Operation Sindhoor, launched after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The heavy cross-border shelling particularly affected Rajouri, Poonch, and parts of Jammu district.
During his visit to Poonch on May 30, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the setting up of additional bunkers in border districts to enhance the safety of local residents. District Magistrates have also been instructed to work closely with security agencies during the assessment, as the pattern of Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindhoor has altered threat perceptions in many sectors.
In parallel, the administration will also seek central assistance to restore bunkers damaged during the heavy rains of August and September this year. Departments responsible for bunker construction—Roads & Buildings and Rural Development—have already indicated they lack funds for repair and maintenance. “The initial bunkers were built with limited financial provisions, without any scope for regular upkeep,” sources said.
