Srinagar, May 13: Union MoS Science & technology, MoS PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on Tuesday announced that the government will construct 600 new border bunkers in Kathua district of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with local administration officials and public representatives, Dr. Singh said that the initiative to build border bunkers began from Kathua—the first such project in the entire country.
He noted that around 2,000 modern border bunkers, each designed like a single-room apartment, have already been constructed.
“The residents who took shelter in these bunkers during emergencies found them both comfortable and secure,” he said.
Dr. Singh said that 600 more bunkers will now be built on a similar pattern, transitioning from the earlier community-style bunkers to individual family bunkers, as “each family prefers to live independently.”
He also revealed that a centralised, automatic, technology-driven siren system will be established in Kathua for the first time.
“The control room will be based at the Kathua district headquarters,” he said, “With the push of a button, sirens will sound simultaneously in all connected border villages.”
Dr. Singh said that Kathua witnessed all the drone warfare. He said that India acquired S-400 missile defence technology only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed office.
“This technology, developed and deployed under Modi Ji’s leadership, has significantly boosted the morale and confidence of the people in border areas,” he said.
Reflecting on past wars, he recalled how in 1965 and 1971, people had to dig their own trenches and bunkers for safety.
“Now, in the modern, technology-driven warfare, incoming projectiles are intercepted and destroyed mid-air before reaching the ground,” he said, adding that recent days provided an occasion to show the world India’s technological capabilities and military strength.
Dr. Singh said, “Modi Ji does what he says. He has made it clear that terror and talks cannot go together.”
Dr. Singh expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for the significant improvements in road and communication infrastructure in Kathua, which, he noted, have recently proven vital to the region’s security.