Rs 10k for 25L loss: J&K border villagers hit by Pak shelling say govt compensation is not enough
Srinagar: Amid mounting losses from cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, residents of Kupwara, Baramulla, and Poonch districts have expressed deep dissatisfaction over the government’s compensation, describing it as grossly insufficient despite massive destruction of their houses.
“My house was completely damaged in the Pakistani shelling. I spent Rs 15,000 to clear the debris, but surprisingly, the government gave me only Rs 10,000 as compensation,” Mohammad Maqbool Khan, a resident of Sonora, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
Khan estimated his total losses at Rs 25 to 30 lakh and said senior civil and police officials had visited the village to assess the damage. Despite this, Khan remained stunned by the meagre relief provided by the authorities.
More than hundred houses and structures were reportedly damaged in mortar and artillery shelling by Pakistani troops in the border areas of Tangdhar and Karnah in Kupwara district, and Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
In Uri’s Parampilla village, close to the LoC, the house of Syed Mustafa’s sister sustained severe damage, with shattered windows, broken doors, cracked walls, and destroyed household items. Mustafa estimates losses running into several lakhs of rupees but said the government has disbursed only Rs 6,500 as compensation, a sum he deemed inadequate, the report added.
Similarly, in the neighbouring Salambad village of Uri, three houses were fully damaged and three others partially affected in Pakistani shelling. Among the worst hit were the homes of brothers Talib Hussain and Mohammad Younis, sons of Sultan Niak, which were declared unsafe to live in. Abdul Rashid Awan, former sarpanch of the village, highlighted the high costs of construction materials and labour locally, estimating that building a two-storey house costs between Rs 35 and 40 lakh.
The government has compensated the two brothers Rs 1.3 lakh each, while damage assessments continue for other affected residents. “The families had spent their whole life’s earnings in the construction of the houses, and now they are being offered Rs 1.3 lakh to rebuild the homes. Is it possible to construct a house in that amount,” TNIE quoted Awan as saying.
The situation is no different in Poonch, where Mehtab Din Sheikh’s house in Dongas was severely damaged in cross-border shelling on May 7. Sheikh estimated his losses at Rs 15 lakh but said the Rs 1.3 lakh compensation he received was insufficient even for minor repairs, let alone rebuilding the house.
Border residents whose homes were damaged in the shelling have urged the administration to provide adequate compensation to facilitate reconstruction. In addition to residential damage, at least 31 schools have been affected by Pakistani shelling in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
