Baramulla: A day after yet another woman was killed, and another suffered arm injuries in cross-LoC firing and shelling in Uri, residents of the area on Saturday again demanded from the government construction of underground bunkers near every house.
Lal din Ahmad, village head of Churanda near the Line of Control (LoC), said to Kashmir Reader that several people including women and children have been killed and scores of people injured in cross-LoC firing/ shelling in recent weeks.
“We again appeal to the government to construct underground bunkers behind the house of every family. The government has promised us in the past that they will construct community bunkers in each village where people can stay for some time in such a situation. But we now realise that community bunkers cannot protect everyone. There should be a small bunker near the house of every resident,” Ahmad said.
“When troops of both the countries exchange firing and shelling we cannot move an inch. It is not possible for people to shift their children from one place to another in such a situation. Yesterday we saw that a woman who tried to go to the house of her neighbour was hit by splinters and was killed. In border areas people live at a distance from each other, so how can they reach community bunkers in time?” he added.
Meanwhile, over a dozen families of Silikote village who were shifted to main town Uri on Friday said that they wanted both the countries to resume dialogue instead of warring with each other.
The families of village Silikote are being put up in empty buildings of the NHPC where authorities are providing them food and other essentials.
Also, reports said that the woman who was killed in Batgran village due to splinter injures on Friday was buried late in the evening after people announced her funeral through the public announcement system.

Mushtaq Ahamd