State police chief Gurbachan Jagat said the bunkers would protect Baramulla, Kupwara and Kargil districts which have faced the brunt of the Line of Control shelling.

Kargil has been shelled throughout the year and has been hit by up to 2,000 shells on a single day. This year, Uri has been shelled repeatedly and even Gurez has been attacked for the first time,'' he said. ``With the bunkers in position, precious lives will be saved and the villagers will know where to head for cover.''

According to the plan, there will be 1,481 bunkers to protect 83 border villages in Baramulla district; 3,681 bunkers for 71 villages falling in Kupwara district as well as about 2,000 bunkers for the town and 21 villagesfalling in Kargil district. This will be in addition to the 700-odd bunkers which had been constructed in Kargil district following last year's heavy shelling from Pakistan.

Shalin Kabra, Deputy Commissioner of Kargil, told The Indian Express that Rs 1.5 crore for construction of additional bunkers had come and that about 500 bunkers had already been built as per planned. He, however, added that Kargil town was also in the line of fire. And since there was a paucity of space in built-up areas, authorities had suggested a modified design: instead of the sand-and-timber design approved by the Army, they wanted smaller bunkers, fortified with concrete slabs.

Bunkers, meant for Baramulla and Kupwara, are meant to accommodate up to 45 people at a time. Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla Atul Duloo said that following heavy shelling in August, in which 17 were killed, villagers, including those from Kamalkote, had approached local Army authorities and began building bunkers on their own.

These bunkers will playa crucial role as shelling has become routine which results in loss of life, livestock and property as well as displacement of thousands of villagers.

Figures for the districts of Baramulla and Kupwara show that this years shelling had dislocated 90,000 people from 90 villages and that 185 houses had been damaged.