Unspent Funds: Jammu & Kashmir's Bunker Construction Lag

Nearly half of the central funds provided for building bunkers for Jammu & Kashmir border residents remain unspent over the last five years. The funds aimed to enhance civilian safety amid cross-border tensions have seen limited utilization, with significant amounts lying unused despite renewed ceasefires.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has failed to utilize almost half of the central funds earmarked for constructing underground bunkers for border residents over the last five years, according to information revealed by a Right to Information (RTI) application. This comes amid escalating calls for civilian safety following last month's Operation Sindoor and severe cross-border shelling.

Jammu-based activist Raman Kumar, through an RTI request, uncovered that only 53.42% of Rs 242.77 crore allocated between 2020-21 and 2024-25 was spent. Rajouri district led in fund utilization, followed by areas like Poonch, Samba, and Kathua.

The inadequate utilization of funds raises concerns as the region frequently experiences violations of ceasefire agreements by Pakistan, despite a renewed agreement in February 2021. Attention is now on the need for constructing more bunkers following recent shelling incidents resulting in civilian casualties.

(With inputs from agencies.)