Hathlanga Uri residents decry construction of community bunkers at ‘unsuitable places’

Uri, Jan 4: Inhabitants in Hathlanga in Haji Peer sector Uri in frontier north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have taken exception over the ongoing construction of community bunkers by a Roads and Buildings department allottee saying the structures are being constructed at ‘unsuitable places’ and fall outside the proximity of their existing dwellings.
Mansoor Ahmed Chachi, a Panchayat ward member of Hathalanga village told GNS that recently a contractor was allotted work by the Roads and Buildings department. Notwithstanding the actual requirement, the allottee however started the work on two community bunkers as per his convenience only and has been constructing the structures at least two kilometres away from the existing dwellings of the inhabitants, he claimed.
“The bunkers would be of simply no avail, if at all any exchange or flare up takes place along the border”, Chachi said.
Chachi said that despite bringing the issue into notice of authorities, they are yet to see anything being done on ground.
Mohammad Rustam, a resident of the village Hathlanga said their village is among the last villages’ which falls close to Line of Control and the inhabitants have as such off and have fallen victim to border skirmishes. “The construction of community bunkers is a welcome step but the structures which were supposed to come up near GMS and a local shrine are being constructed at some other places, to the dismay of inhabitants”, he said.
Rustam has appealed to the Chief Engineer Roads and Buildings department and Deputy Commissioner on behalf of the village inhabitants for intervention to resolve the issue at an earliest.
When contacted, Executive Engineer R&B Uri Nissar Jan said that the matter will be looked into.” I will check into it”, he said adding the (community) bunkers will be constructed where it is genuine.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Uri, Harvinder Singh in the meantime said that issue is already is in his notice and R&B engineers have been directed to visit the spot.
Pertinent to mention here that in July 2020, the R&B department floated tenders for 44 community bunkers in Uri. Among 44 no bidders’ filed papers for eight community bunkers of village Hathlanga and Sourha. Work on remaining thirty six, which include four in Boniyar, is however in final stage.
The R&B department has recently floated re-tenders for eight community bunkers approved for village Hathlanga and Sourha on LoC Uri. However no construction has been taken up yet at Sourha village. (GNS)