Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said construction of bunkers for those living along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district has already begun.
"A major demand of residents of border areas was construction of bunkers near the IB... The work on it has already begun," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kathua.
The Union Minister of State in the PMO visited a few border hamlets and took stock of the "border area toilets" project, the work on which started two weeks ago in collaboration with Sulabh International.
Under the project, 1,120 toilets will be constructed in the first phase at a cost of Rs 4.4 crore.
In the next three years, Singh said, Kathua will become a model district.
Enumerating some of the major initiatives undertaken in Kathua district during the last one-and-a-half years of his term as an MP, Singh said Aarogya Gram Yojana has been launched in the district with a budget of Rs 10 crore. A biotech park has been sanctioned and will come up at Gati.
Singh said the Basohli "Atal Setu" has been inaugurated and the tender for building the Keediyan-Gadiyal bridge has been floated.
"These two bridges will be game-changers for not only the state of Jammu and Kashmir but for Punjab and Himachal Pradesh also in the form of generating revenue, tourism, trade and employment avenues," he said.
