Jammu, May 14 The safety of border residents is the top priority of the National Conference government, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said on Wednesday, as he assured enhanced safety measures for people affected by the recent cross-border shelling by Pakistan.
Visiting the border areas in the Nowshera sub-division of Rajouri district, Choudhary went to the damaged houses, inspected the losses caused by the shelling and met with the affected families.
He also interacted with the border residents at various locations, officials said.
“The government stands firmly with the border residents in this hour of need. It is actively mobilising resources and efforts to ensure that they do not face any inconvenience,” Choudhary said.
He also said that the safety of every single resident living near the Line of Control (LoC) is the topmost priority of the government, and best possible measures are being taken in this regard.
During his visit, Choudhary met several delegations at different locations, which apprised him of the various issues pertaining to the construction of individual and community bunkers, compensation for their losses in the recent cross-border firing, water scarcity, unscheduled power cuts and deteriorating condition of link roads in the region.
Choudhary issued on the spot instructions to the concerned officials to resolve their grievances and assured them that all the genuine issues will be redressed in a phased manner.
He also assured the border residents that additional individual and community bunkers will be built at strategic locations based on requirements.
“These bunkers are critical components of the administration’s border protection strategy to provide safety during instances of cross-border shelling,” Choudhary said.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo also toured some villages impacted by shelling in the border sub-divisions of Akhnoor and Khour in Jammu district, and inspected the damages caused to residential buildings and public infrastructure in the area, officials said.
Directing the concerned officials to promptly assess the damages and initiate relief measures for the affected population, Dulloo emphasised the need for long-term safety measures, including construction of community bunkers, to safeguard the residents from any future incidents.(PTI)