In a meeting held at Raj Bhavan, Governor Satya Pal Malik reviewed the progress of construction of Bunkers, which have salience for the people living in the border districts, especially during escalation of border tensions.Sh. Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, Sh. K. Vijay Kumar, Advisors to Governor; Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to Governor; Sh. Shaleen Kabra Principal Secretary Home; Sh. Sanjeev Verma, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, were among those present in the meeting.Governor was informed that 10,260 number of bunkers are to be constructed in the border districts viz. Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch. These are being executed by the PWD and Rural Development Department and till date, 2041 bunkers have been completed and work plan has also been prepared to accomplish the remaining assignment in a time bound manner.
Governor expressed his satisfaction over the progress in execution observing that in the past the construction of bunkers had remained sluggish which has gained traction during the recent months. However the executing agencies and Deputy Commissioners were directed to accord primacy to the construction of bunkers – it is a strong felt need in the border areas. 215 bunkers in the districts Samba and Poonch which were being executed by PWD and have remained un- allotted/untendered were decided to be constructed through RDD to ensure their speedy completion.With regard to ex-gratia relief to the victims of cross border firing, Governor was informed that the relief has been paid in respect of all the eligible/ approved cases of death, permanent disability, injuries and damage to crops, houses and livestock, upto March 2019. The assistance has also been provided under SRE in respect of 73 cases and central assistance to 50 cases.Governor expressed his satisfaction, especially with regard to disposal of relief cases of the DPs of 1947, 1965 and 1971 after being informed that out of 26,000 families which had applied, the cases in respect of 23,576 families have already been sanctioned for release of payment, which is made directly into the accounts of the recipients.