Uri Villagers Build Own Bunkers Amid Govt Inaction

Idrees Bukhtiyar
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02 May 2026

Srinagar, May 2: Bashir Ahmad (40), a resident of Garkote village in Uri along the Line of Control (LoC), still shudders at the memory of the night of May 7, 2025, when intense cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan caused widespread devastation in the area.

“I don’t want to relive that night,” Bashir said. “We were huddled in a small space beneath our house. The shelling was so intense, it felt like it was raining fire. I pray such a day never returns in my life.”

Nearly a year later, what continues to haunt residents like Bashir is the absence of adequate safety infrastructure, particularly bunkers.

“No bunker has been constructed by the government since then. We had no option but to spend our own money to build one, which is still under construction,” he said.

Bashir added that a group of neighbours has come together to construct a shared bunker for safety. “It has been almost a year since the clashes, but we have received no assistance. We have already spent over Rs 50,000, and the bunker is still incomplete due to lack of funds,” he said.

Echoing similar concerns, Tanveer Bhat, another resident of the village, said that locals have been left to fend for themselves. “Whatever bunkers have been built are from our own pockets. We cannot risk our lives if shelling resumes,” he said.

In Uri’s Kamalkote sector, Tariq Hashim said several families have independently constructed bunkers. “At least five to ten families in our area have built their own bunkers for safety,” he said.

He noted that while the government has constructed overhead protection trenches, these offer only temporary relief. “They are not a permanent solution,” he added.

Mohd Sadeeq Khan (45), a resident of Ramgai village along the LoC, said his brother recently built a bunker at a personal cost of over Rs 1.5 lakh. “More than ten families in our village have done the same, as no support has come from the government,” he said.

Imtiyaz Ahmad, a resident of Nambla village, said he constructed the bunker using his own savings. “We spent over ₹3 lakh on its construction because we fear shelling may occur again,” he said.

In January this year, then Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Minga Sherpa, had announced that over 500 bunkers had been sanctioned for the Uri sector by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department. The construction was expected to begin in the working season starting April 2026.

However, residents say there has been no progress on the ground so far.

Operation Sindoor, carried out on the intervening night of May 7-8, 2025, came amid heightened tensions along the LoC. Yet, villagers in Uri’s forward areas allege that despite repeated assurances, the promised safety infrastructure remains confined to official statements.