Srinagar, Oct 25: Amid buzz over reduction of bunkers from the summer Capital, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has constructed the sandbag structure in Jawahir Nagar area of the City where from the armed troopers keep a vigil.
 The paramilitary bunker, which the CRPF says, is just a “mini bunker for security reasons” has recently come up at the locality square drawing flak from the locals.
 “If the government speaks of normalcy, why has a bunker been constructed here?” argued a group of locals.
 Incidentally, in ‘90s the same spot hosted a comparatively huge bunker which was later removed following public resentment.
 The locals fear that like the past, the present bunker would soon be expanded into a big structure.
 “This has always been true about the genesis of bunkers in the City. They (troops) start measures in small packets and ultimately end up tuning a civilian locality into a garrison,” said a Kashmir University teacher who happened to see the bunker near a small park.
 “For we the Kashmiris it’s somewhat like the Arab and the Camel story,” he quipped.
 Pertinently, this is the second complaint since the government recently said it removed 16 bunkers from here.
 The earlier one had come from Bemina bypass where the paramilitary has taken over a link connecting the Srinagar-Muzaffarbad road with chain of government offices there. A “makeshift” bunker has also been constructed.
 Observers see the new bunker erections in the backdrop of government’s claims of taking measures towards the “demilitarization.”
 “On one hand, hype is being created on removal of bunkers while on the other they are again being constructed, as if it’s some balancing tactics,” said a writer.
 Pertinently, on October 5, five days after government announced that it would remove 16 bunkers in Srinagar as part of de-scaling of troops, the paramilitary CRPF started the process.
 The removal of bunkers from the City was one of the five decisions taken by the Unified Headquarters during its meeting chaired by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on September 30.
 The move came after Centre announced the 8-point package aimed at ending the ongoing unrest in the Valley.
 Removal of bunkers was one of the measures.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 IST