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Jawan killed in Pak shelling

At least one security jawan was killed and seven others injured in unprovoked artillery and mortar shelling by Pakistani troops in the northern sector of Jammu and Kashmir since Sunday evening.

The shelling also left several houses damaged.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to construct 1000 community and household bunkers in Uri and Gurez sectors to save people from Pak shelling.

Official sources said Pakistani troops fired mortars and artillery shells in Uri sector in north Kashmir on Sunday afternoon, causing panic and disrupting normal life.

They said the shelling, which continued till late in the night, was aimed at residential areas of Churanda, Balgaraw, Jabla and other villages near the Line of Actual Control, resulting in injuries to a villager, Mohammad Iqbal, who has been hospitalised.

The sources said a few shells exploded near a security force bunker at Kalgi in the forward area, resulting in on-the-spot death of a jawan and injuries to six others.

Sources said the critically among them wounded were brought to Srinagar and admitted to base hospital.

They said Indian troops also retaliated and targeted Pak army installations and bunkers. However, the exact damage suffered by enemy soldiers was not immediately known.

More than 150 persons, including some security personnel, have lost their lives, scores have been injured besides government, private and hospital buildings damaged in the Pak shelling in the northern sector during the past three years.

However, authorities believe that Pakistani troops are shelling Indian positions in order to push more and more trained militants besides sophisticated arms and ammunition into this side.

Officials said the recent shelling by Pak troops was to give cover to militants to infiltrate into the Indian side before the routes are closed due to heavy snowfall for six months.

Defence sources said foot and night patrolling all along the Line of Actual Control had been further intensified to thwart any militant attempt to sneak into this side.

Sources said infiltration through the northern sector this year was less as compared to last year. However, they admitted that new routes in Poonch and Rajouri sectors were being used by Pakistan to send in militants.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman said identification of beneficiaries has been taken up for the construction of community and household bunkers.

He said out of these, 70 bunkers would come up in Uri and 300 in Gurez areas, adding that Rs 3.75 million had already been released for the construction of bunkers.

He said the Baramullah district administration had already submitted a detailed proposal to the government for construction of 5605 bunkers in these areas at a cost of Rs 3,65 crore.

In view of the increase in the firing and shelling from across the international border and the Line of Actual Control and a stream of migration from the affected forward village in the state, the government has sanctioned two relief packages, he said.

One package was for Leh and Kargil districts and another for Jammu and Kashmir divisions, he added.

The spokesman said 11,044 families continued to be displaced from their village because of Pak shelling. Out of these, 2625 families have been provided tented accommodation at safe locations and others are living under their own arrangement. However, he said, additional tents are in the process of being procured for accommodating the remaining families.

He said a relief of Rs 22.20 crores in cash, free ration, kerosene and other facilities have been provided to the families displaced from the border areas in Jammu region only.

He said an additional amount of Rs 12 crore has been requisitioned by the divisional commissioner, Jammu, for expenditure on the relief package for Jammu and Kathua districts till the end of this month.

UNI

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