Jammu: Nearly 10 months later operation sindorThe Jammu and Kashmir border area came under heavy shelling from Pakistan, and there was no progress in building bunkers in areas including Poonch, killing at least 18 people.“No stone was moved in Uri after the surgery,” Sajjad Shafi, a lawmaker from Uri constituency in Baramulla district, told TOI. Many houses were damaged in the shelling, Shafi said, forcing mass evacuation of people. The Ministry of Justice said that while the evacuations saved lives, assurances about building bunkers were not fulfilled. “Our terrain makes community bunkers difficult to access during intense shelling. Every house should have its own bunker,” he said.Echoing the demand for separate bunkers, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, MP from Thanamandi in Rajouri, said: “Houses are located kilometers apart. No one can come out of community bunkers during shelling.”North Carolina Poonch MLA Ajaz Jan said: “When shelling occurs, the Army is forced to first focus on evacuating civilians and rescuing the injured before responding. The permanent bunkers will strengthen defenses and reduce pressure on security forces,” he said.The Interior Ministry has approved the construction of more than 500 bunkers for Uri canton, with work expected to begin in April 2026, according to officials. In November 2025, the J&K government said it had submitted a proposal for setting up 5,693 bunkers in Poonch to the home ministry for approval.
