The Jammu and Kashmir government has asked authorities concerned to chalk out a strategy to expedite work on the construction of bunkers along the International Border (IB) for the safety of the people in Jammu division, officials said on Wednesday. 

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma passed the directive yesterday at a meeting convened to review the progress on construction of bunkers here, a government official said. 

He said the meeting was attended by Jammu Deputy Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioners of Kathua, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch (through video conference) and senior officers of Roads and Buildings of the Public Works Department.

The deputy commissioners apprised the divisional commissioner about the present status of progress being made for the construction and allotments of individual and community bunkers in their respective districts, the official said.

He said Verma asked the deputy commissioners and executing agencies to chalk out the strategy to expedite the work for construction of bunkers.

The Centre had sanctioned the construction of 14,460 individual and community bunkers at a cost of 415.73 crores along the Line of Control (LoC) and the IB last year.

While 7,298 bunkers would be constructed along the LoC in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, 7,162 underground bunkers would be constructed along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts.